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Age cited among predictors of function after surgery for cervical spondylotic myelopathy
An analysis of data from two, prospective, multicenter cohort studies linked younger patient age, non-smoking status, lower comorbidity scores, mild baseline myelopathy, a short duration of symptoms and lack of impaired gait with a greater chance of patients having minimal clinical impairment after surgery for cervical spondylotic myelopathy.
Researchers studied 278 patients who underwent cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) and were enrolled in the AOSpine CSM-North American study and 479 patients who were enrolled in the CSM-International study. The mean patient age was 56.48 years.
Investigators used the SF-36, the Neck Disability Index, the modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association score (mJOA) and the 30-meter walking test to evaluate health-related quality of life and function. Investigators used a mJOA score of greater than or equal to 16 to determine minimal clinical impairment.
At the 1-year follow-up, patients were assessed as to whether they achieved this score. Univariate analysis was used to determine the relationship between clinically relevant predictors and outcomes. Investigators created a final prediction rule and estimated relative risks.
Results at 1-year follow-up showed the mean mJOA score was 15.18. Results of a multivariate analysis indicated impaired gait, baseline mJOA score, patient age, smoking status, comorbidity score and symptom duration as significant predictors. The authors concluded younger patients, those with milder preoperative myelopathy, non-smokers, patients with a shorter duration of symptoms, those without impaired gait, and patients with fewer and less severe comorbidities had greater odds of achieving a minimum mJOA score of 16. ‒ by Monica Jaramillo
Disclosures: Tetreault reports no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the full study for a list of all other author’s relevant financial disclosures.