Eur Spine J, 2000 · DOI: · Published: January 5, 2000
This study compares surgery to conservative treatment for mild to moderate spondylotic cervical myelopathy (SCM). Patients were randomly assigned to either surgical or conservative treatment groups. The clinical outcome was measured by several factors, including a modified scoring system (mJOA), walking speed, and daily activities. The activities were recorded by video and evaluated by observers who did not know which treatment the patients had received. The study found that surgery did not show better results than conservative treatment over the 2-year follow-up period for patients with no or very slow progression of SCM and a relatively long duration of symptoms.
For patients with mild to moderate SCM and slow progression, conservative treatment may be a reasonable option.
Larger studies with longer follow-up periods are needed to identify subgroups of patients who may benefit from surgery.
The study suggests that surgery may not always be necessary for patients with mild or moderate SCM, especially those with a long duration of symptoms.