Research progress on the pathogenesis and treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy

Abstract

Cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) is the most serious subtype of cervical spondylosis, which is the main cause of spinal cord dysfunction in middle-aged and elderly people, and the pathogenesis of this CSM is complex, mainly including degenerative aging, dynamic instability, spinal cord ischemia, spinal cord injury, inflammation, apoptosis, and other possible mechanisms. The clinical treatment of the CSM mainly includes conservative treatment and surgical treatment, conservative treatment includes drugs, acupuncture, moxibustion, traction, physical therapy and manual treatment, surgical treatment can be divided into anterior surgery, posterior surgery, anterior and posterior combined surgery according to the surgical approach. The choice of treatment regimen should be based on the patient's symptoms, signs, and the results of auxiliary examinations, but how to choose the appropriate treatment plan is still the focus of clinicians. This article focuses on the research progress of the pathogenesis and treatment methods of this disease, in order to provide a reference for the diagnosis and treatment of cervical myelopathy.

Keywords

• cervical spondylotic myelopathy
• spinal canal stenosis
• anterior cervical discectomy and fusion
• posterior cervical surgery