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Elevated protein level in cerebrospinal fluid linked to spinal stenosis
The phosphorylated neurofilament heavy subunit is released into cerebrospinal fluid after nerve damage, and according results in a recently published study, there may be higher levels of the protein in patients with spinal stenosis.
The study included 33 patients with lumbar spinal stenosis (20 women and 13 men) undergoing presurgical myelography. Each patient had 2 mL of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) collected during the procedure and 32 tested positive for phosphorylated neurofilament heavy subunit (pNfH), according to researchers.
All patients had the clinical severity of their LSS assessed by the Zurich Claudication Questionnaire (ZCQ) and the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) for sciatic pain. Researchers found a correlation between patients with higher levels of pNfH and those in the third tertiles of ZCQ and NRS.
Researchers concluded the pNfH levels can be used as a potential biomarker for compressive spinal disorders.
Disclosure: Ohya reports no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the full study for a list of all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.