Introduction: Symptomatic acute metastatic spinal epidural cord compression (MSCC) is an emergency that requires multimodal attention. However, there is no clear consensus on the appropriate timing for surgery. Therefore, to address this issue, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature to evaluate the outcomes of different surgery timings. Methods: We searched multiple databases for studies involving adult patients suffering from symptomatic MSCC who underwent decompression with or without fixation. We analyzed the data by stratifying them based on timing as emergent (≤24 h vs. >24 h) and urgent (≤48 h vs. >48 h). The analysis also considered adverse postoperative medical and surgical events. The rates of improved outcomes and adverse events were pooled through a random-effects meta-analysis. Results: We analyzed seven studies involving 538 patients and discovered that 83.0% (95% CI 59.0-98.2%) of those who underwent urgent decompression showed an improvement of ≥1 point in strength scores. Adverse events were reported in 21% (95% CI 1.8-51.4%) of cases. Patients who underwent emergent surgery had a 41.3% (95% CI 20.4-63.3%) improvement rate but a complication rate of 25.5% (95% CI 15.9-36.3%). Patients who underwent surgery after 48 h showed 36.8% (95% CI 12.2-65.4%) and 28.6% (95% CI 19.5-38.8%) complication rates, respectively. Conclusion: Our study highlights that a 48 h window may be the safest and most beneficial for patients presenting with acute MSCC and a life expectancy of over three months.
Keywords: MSCC; metastases; neoplasms; spine; timely surgery.