Cervical Myelopathy: Diagnostic Aspects, Surgical Treatment and Evolution of Patients Operated upon in Yaounde

Abstract

Introduction: Although cervical myelopathy is the most common degenerative cervical spine pathology in adults, the indications and approaches of surgical treatment have not yet been clearly defined in the literature. Very few studies exist regarding these aspects in our setting, and they are mostly outdated. This study aimed to describe the diagnostic aspects, current surgical treatment with technical improvements, and progression in patients. Patients and Methods: We conducted a multicentre retrospective descriptive study over a 10-year period between January 2011 and January 2020 in three referral centres in Yaoundé. All patients who underwent surgery for cervical myelopathy were included. Results: Fifty-two patients were recruited. The rate of operated cervical myelopathies among all degenerative spinal pathologies was 14.05%. The M/F sex ratio was 3/1, and the average age was 52 ± 10 years. All included patients had gait problems, 90.38% demonstrated motor deficiency, and 67.30% experienced at least three levels of compression. Surgery was decided based on the Nurick grade; a posterior approach was applied to 86.54% of patients. Postoperative progression showed a neurological improvement of 82% with an average follow-up of 4 years. Conclusion: In this study, the patients who underwent surgery were relatively young, their clinical presentations were mostly advanced, and surgical management showed good results in well-selected cases.