Abstract
We conducted a radiographic analysis for two age groups of patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM), searching for findings that characterize CSM in elderly people. The elderly group consisted of 25 patients aged 75 and older, and the younger group comprised 25 patients aged between 55 to 65.
Plain radiographic measurements of the cervical spine revealed that the antero-posterior diameter of the spinal canal was significantly (P<0.05) wider in the elderly group than in the younger group at C5, but not at the other levels. This finding may explain the tendency to functionally spare the C5/6 level in the elderly group.
To estimate the constitutional factors in the development of CSM, we calculated the ratio of the cord diameter at C2 measured on midsagittal T1-weighted MRI to the antero-posterior canal diameter measured by lateral radiography at each vertebral level. The ratio was significantly (P<0.05) smaller in the elderly group than in the younger group at all the levels from C2 to C7.
This finding may imply a tenuous congenital predisposition to this condition in the elderly group, reflecting a late manifestation of myelopathy in elderly patients.
