Localization of the primary sites of involvement in the spinal sensory and motor pathways for multilevel MRI abnormalities in degenerative cervical myelopathy.

STUDY DESIGN: Exploratory clinical study.

OBJECTIVES: To localize the sites of conduction block in the spinal sensory and motor pathways for minimizing the level of surgical intervention despite MRI evidence of compression at several levels in degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM).

SETTING: Kochi Medical School Hospital, Japan.

METHODS: We analyzed 83 DCM patients (69 ± 12 years) who underwent serial intervertebral recording of both ascending (A-SCEPs) and descending spinal cord-evoked potentials (D-SCEPs) after epidural and transcranial stimulation, respectively, during surgery before decompression procedures. The site of conduction block was identified by an abrupt reduction of the negative peak accompanied by an enlargement of the initial-positive peak. T1-weighted MRI allowed quantitative assessments of cord compression in relation to the level of conduction block.

RESULTS: The A-SCEP and D-SCEP studies revealed conduction blocks at the same single level in 78 patients (94%) and at two separate levels in five patients (6%) for MRI abnormalities extending to 3.1 ± 1.1 levels. The site of conduction block had intense cord compression on MRI with either the smallest (81%) or the second smallest (19%) anteroposterior diameter and cross-sectional area of the cord. Based on the SCEP findings, 44 patients were treated by a single-level (35) or a two-level (9) anterior operation for MRI abnormalities of 2.7 ± 1.1 levels.

CONCLUSIONS: Combined A-SCEP and D-SCEP studies served as useful additions to MRI in localizing the primary sites responsible for myelopathy, which helped exclude clinically silent compressions to minimize surgical intervention in 34 patients with anterior operation.