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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To outline the pathogenesis of cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM), the correlative abnormalities observed on standard magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the biological implications and current status of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and MR spectroscopy (MRS) as clinical tools, and future directions of MR technology in the management of CSM patients. ⋯ Advanced imaging techniques, including DTI and MRS, show higher sensitivity to microstructural and biochemical changes within the cord, and may aid in management of CSM patients.
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One of the objectives of this review is to summarize the important features of a good scale. A second aim is to conduct a systematic review to identify scales that can detect the presence of cervical myelopathy and to determine their psychometric properties including validity, reliability and responsiveness. ⋯ This review summarizes outcome measures used to assess the presence and severity of cervical myelopathy. It includes several validation studies as well as those that have reported the responsiveness and reliability of various measures.
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Review
Risk factors for development of myelopathy in patients with cervical spondylotic cord compression.
To clarify risk factors for the development of myelopathy in patients with cervical spondylotic cord compression. ⋯ Several predictable risk factors for the development of myelopathy have been proposed in CSM or OPLL studies, but they were not definitive. Further prospective population-based study is needed to clarify the mechanism.