Abstract
Subjects and Methods: Surgical results of 12 patients aged 70 or older were compared with those of 15 younger controls with the same degree of cervical spondylotic myelopathy. All the patients were treated with the open-door laminoplasty in our institution from 1984 to 1999. The Japanese Orthopaedic Association Criteria (JOA score) was used for clinical evaluation. Perioperative complications were recorded.
Results: The maximum recovery of the JOA score was obtained approximately 1 year after the operation, and the recovery rate was slightly higher in the younger (53.3%) than the older (39.6%) subjects. Both groups exhibited gradual decrease in their JOA score, and the final score of 9.8 in the elderly had no significant difference with that of 11.2 in the control group. Despite the higher frequency of associated systemic disorders in the elderly, there was no major surgical complication in both groups.
Discussions: The lower JOA score in elderly subjects were partly due to their accompanied lumbar or knee symptoms. Major perioperative complications could be avoided even in the patient over 80 years old. The open-door laminoplasty demonstrated promising clinical outcomes and should be performed in the elderly patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy.
The abstracts were prepared by Professor Jegan Krishnan. Correspondence should be addressed to him at the Flinders Medical Centre, Bedford Park 5047, Australia.
