This study aims to identify the necessity of circumferential decompression and fusion in patients with severe multilevel cervical spondylotic myelopathy with circumferential cord compression. The researchers have involved 51 patients with severe multilevel circumferential cervical myelopathy who underwent the two-stage circumferential procedure between July 2008 and June 2010. They obtained all big things like VAS scores, satisfaction surveys, JOA scores, and imaging studies. In Group A, twenty-three patients underwent two-stage surgery; the other 28 patients in Group B were satisfied with the outcomes after first-stage surgery. The second-stage avoided the surgery. Age, sex, and symptom duration did not differ between the groups.

The observation showed that patients were followed up for 3–5 years (mean, 42.5 months). In group A, VAS and JOA scores significantly improved from 63.3 and 7.9 to 38.3 and 10.4, respectively, at three months after the first-stage operation and 10.2 and 12.7, at three months after the second-stage operation. In group B, the VAS and JOA scores significantly improved from 62.7 and 7.9 to 31.1 and 11.2, respectively, at three months and 18.2 and 12.4, at six months. The patient satisfaction rate increased dramatically from 43.5% after the first-stage operation to 82.6% after the second-stage process in group A. In group B. This rate was 89.3%.

Ref: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02688697.2016.1238038

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