European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society
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Multicenter Study
Clinical features and surgical outcomes of cervical spondylotic myelopathy in patients aged 80 years or older: a multi-center retrospective study.
With the aging of the population in developed countries, spine surgeons have recently been more likely to encounter elderly patients in need of treatment. This study investigated whether decompression surgery for cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) in elderly patients aged 80 years or older would likely be a reasonable treatment. We retrospectively reviewed 605 consecutive patients with cervical myelopathy who underwent decompression surgery between 2004 and 2008. ⋯ There were no significant differences in the percentages of patients with comorbidities or those with postoperative complications. Elderly patients aged 80 years or older regained approximately 40% of their function postoperatively, and the incidence of postoperative complication was similar to that in younger patients. Since this age group shows a rapid deterioration after onset, prompt decompression surgery is required.