Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 Aug;3(3):35-42.
doi: 10.1055/s-0032-1327808.

Risk factors for development of cervical spondylotic myelopathy: results of a systematic review

Anoushka Singh  1 , Lindsay Tetreault, Michael G Fehlings, Dena J Fischer, Andrea C Skelly
Affiliations

Risk factors for development of cervical spondylotic myelopathy: results of a systematic review

Anoushka Singh et al. Evid Based Spine Care J. 2012 Aug.

Abstract

Study design: Systematic review.

Study rationale: Cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) is a common cause of spinal cord dysfunction that may be asymptomatic or may present with severe symptoms. Since CSM has an insidious manifestation, identification of risk factors associated with this condition may aid clinicians in monitoring high-risk patients and implementing appropriate management strategies.

Objective: To assess sociodemographic, clinical, radiographic, and genetic risk factors associated with presence of CSM in patients 18 years or older.

Methods: A systematic review of the literature was performed using PubMed, the National Guideline Clearinghouse Databases, and bibliographies of key articles to assess risk factors associated with CSM. Articles were reviewed by two independent reviewers based on predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Each article was evaluated using a predefined quality-rating scheme.

Results: From 486 citations, eight articles met all inclusion and exclusion criteria. Larger vertebral body and smaller spinal canal and Torg/Pavlov ratio were associated with CSM diagnosis, while gender was not associated with a CSM diagnosis across multiple studies. There were inconsistent reports with respect to increased age as a risk factor for CSM diagnosis.

Conclusion: The limited data available suggests that inherent anatomical features that may contribute to congenital cervical stenosis may be associated with CSM. This systematic review is limited by the small number of high-quality studies evaluating prognostic factors for CSM. The overall strength of evidence for all risk factors evaluated is low.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Results of literature search.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Singh A, Choi D, Crockard A. Use of walking data in assessing operative results for cervical spondylotic myelopathy: long-term follow-up and comparison with controls. Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 2009;34(12):1296–1300. - PubMed
    1. Singh A, Crockard H A. Quantitative assessment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy by a simple walking test. Lancet. 1999;354(9176):370–373. - PubMed
    1. Takamiya Y, Nagata K, Fukuda K. et al.Cervical spine disorders in farm workers requiring neck extension actions. J Orthop Sci. 2006;11(3):235–240. - PubMed
    1. Chen I H, Liao K K, Shen W Y. Measurement of cervical canal sagittal diameter in Chinese males with cervical spondylotic myelopathy. Zhonghua Yi Xue Za Zhi (Taipei) 1994;54(2):105–110. - PubMed
    1. Golash A, Birchall D, Laitt R D. et al.Significance of CSF area measurements in cervical spondylitic myelopathy. Br J Neurosurg. 2001;15(1):17–21. - PubMed