The Effect of Diabetes Mellitus on the Neurological Function of Patients with Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the clinical value of diabetes mellitus for diagnosis and postoperative prognosis in patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy undergoing anterior decompression and fusion. Methods A total of 84 Patients (50 males and 34 females) who underwent anterior decompression and fusion were reviewed in this single‐center retrospective study. The patients were divided into two groups (44 patients in the diabetes mellitus group and 40 in the non‐diabetic group). Clinical manifestations were evaluated, including characteristics baseline, clinical tests, MRI information, clinical scores, and complications. The predictive effect of diabetes mellitus on clinical scores were assessed via the receiver operating characteristic curve. The correlation between the severity of diabetes mellitus and neurological function recovery was estimated using the Pearson correlation coefficient. Results Patients with diabetes mellitus exhibited a higher ratio of hyperintensity of the spinal cord (P 0.05). Conclusion This present study revealed that the neurological impairment caused by diabetes mellitus in patients undergoing anterior decompression and fusion does not only affect postoperative functional recovery but also interferes with the preoperative clinical manifestations, especially the sensory function in the upper and lower limbs.

Keywords

• Cervical spondylotic myelopathy
• Clinical outcomes
• Diabetes mellitus
• Diabetic peripheral neuropathy
• Neurological recovery