A pragmatic neurological screen for patients with suspected cord compressive myelopathy

Physical Therapy

Volumn 87, Issue 9, 2007, Pages 1233-1242

  Cook, Chad E ^a   Hegedus, Eric ^a   Pietrobon, Ricardo ^a   Goode, Adam ^a  

^a DUKE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE   (United States)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

ATAXIA; BABINSKI REFLEX; CAUDA EQUINA SYNDROME; CLONUS; DIAGNOSTIC ACCURACY; GAIT DISORDER; GRIP STRENGTH; HOFFMANN REFLEX; HUMAN; HYPERREFLEXIA; MOTOR NEURON DISEASE; MUSCLE REFLEX; MUSCLE SPASM; MUSCLE WEAKNESS; NEUROLOGIC DISEASE; PATIENT REFERRAL; PHYSIOTHERAPIST; REVIEW; SCREENING TEST; SENSITIVITY AND SPECIFICITY; SENSORY DYSFUNCTION; SPASTICITY; SPINAL CORD COMPRESSION; SYMPTOMATOLOGY; ANAMNESIS; MASS SCREENING; METHODOLOGY; NEUROLOGIC EXAMINATION; PHYSIOTHERAPY;

HUMANS; MASS SCREENING; MEDICAL HISTORY TAKING; NEUROLOGIC EXAMINATION; PHYSICAL THERAPY (SPECIALTY); SPINAL CORD COMPRESSION;

EID: 35348900103     PISSN: 00319023     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.2522/ptj.20060150     Document Type: Review

References (98)

1. Purves D, Augustine G, Fitzpatrick D, et al. Neuroscience. 2nd ed. Sunderland, Mass: Sinauer Associates Inc; 2001.
2. Cook CE. Orthopedic Manual Therapy: An Evidence-Based Approach. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall; 2007.
3. McCormick WE, Steinmetz MP, Benzel EC. Cervical spondylotic myelopathy: make the difficult diagnosis, then refer for surgery. Cleve Clin J Med. 2003;70:899-904.
4. Dvorak J. Epidemiology, physical examination, and neurodiagnostics. Spine. 1998; 23:2663-2673.
5. Manifold SG, McCann PD. Cervical radiculitis and shoulder disorders. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 1999:105-113.
6. Montgomery DM, Brower RS. Cervical spondylotic myelopathy: clinical syndrome and natural history. Orthop Clin North Am. 1992;23:487-493.
7. Dvorak J, Sutter M, Herdmann J. Cervical myelopathy: clinical and neurophysiological evaluation. Eur Spine J. 2003;12(suppl 2):S181-S187.
8. Fujiwara K, Yonenobu K, Ebara S, et al. The prognosis of surgery for cervical compression myelopathy: an analysis of the factors involved. J Bone Joint Surg Br. 1989;71:393-398.
9. Emery SE. Cervical spondylotic myelopathy: diagnosis and treatment. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2001;9:376-388.
10. Yoshimatsu H, Nagata K, Goto H, et al. Conservative treatment for cervical spondylotic myelopathy, prediction of treatment effects by multivariate analysis. Spine J. 2001;1:269-273.
11. Govind J. Lumbar radicular pain. Aust Fam Physician. 2004;33:409-412.
12. Wainner RS, Gill H. Diagnosis and nonoperative management of cervical radiculopathy. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2000;30: 728-744.
13. Woolf AD. How to assess musculoskeletal conditions: history and physical examination. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol 2003;17:381-402.
14. Obuchowski NA, Graham RJ, Baker ME, Powell KA. Ten criteria for effective screening: their application to multislice CT screening for pulmonary and colorectal cancers. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2001; 176:1357-1362.
15. Grimes DA, Schulz KF. Uses and abuses of screening tests. Lancet. 2002;359: 881-884.
16. Sackett D, Richardson W, Rosenberg W, Haynes R. Evidence-Based Medicine: How to Practice and Teach EBM. New York, NY; Churchill Livingstone Inc; 1997.
17. Bishop PB, Wing PC. Knowledge transfer in family physicians managing patients with acute low back pain: a prospective randomized control trial. Spine J. 2006;6: 282-288.
18. Bishop PB, Wing PC. Compliance with clinical practice guidelines in family physicians managing worker's compensation board patients with acute lower back pain. Spine J. 2003;3:442-450.
19. Gonzalez-Urzelai V, Palacio-Elua L, Lopez-de-Munain J. Routine primary care management of acute low back pain: adherence to clinical guidelines. Eur Spine J. 2003;12:589-594.
20. Staal JB, Hlobil H, van Tulder MW, et al. Occupational health guidelines for the management of low back pain: an international comparison. Occup Environ Med. 2003;60:618-626.
21. Boyce RH, Wang JC. Evaluation of neck pain, radiculopathy, and myelopathy: imaging, conservative treatment, and surgical indications. Instr Course Lect. 2003;52: 489-495.
22. Matsumoto M, Toyama Y, Ishikawa M, et al. Increased signal intensity of the spinal cord on magnetic resonance images in cervical compressive myelopathy: Does it predict the outcome of conservative treatment? Spine. 2000;25:677-682.
23. Nakamura K, Kurokawa T, Hoshino Y, et al. Conservative treatment for cervical spondylotic myelopathy: achievement and sustainability of a level of "no disability." J Spinal Disord. 1998;11:175-179.
24. Browder DA, Erhard RE, Piva SR. Intermittent cervical traction and thoracic manipulation for management of mild cervical compressive myelopathy attributed to cervical herniated disc: a case series. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2004;34:701-712.
25. Davis DP, Wold RM, Patel RJ, et al. The clinical presentation and impact of diagnostic delays on emergency department patients with spinal epidural abscess. J Emerg Med. 2004;26:285-291.
26. Gross J, Benzel E. Dorsal surgical approach for cervical spondylotic myelopathy. In: Camins MD, ed. Techniques in Neurosurgery. Philadelphia, Pa: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 1999:162-176.
27. Young WF. Cervical spondylotic myelopathy: a common cause of spinal cord dysfunction in older persons. Am Fam Physician. 2000;62:1064-1070, 1073.
28. Chiles BW III, Leonard MA, Choudhri HF, Cooper PR. Cervical spondylotic myelopathy: patterns of neurological deficit and recovery after anterior cervical decompression. Neurosurgery. 1999;44:762-769; discussion 769-770.
29. Clark CA, Barker GJ, Tofts PS. Magnetic resonance diffusion imaging of the human cervical spinal cord in vivo. Magn Reson Med. 1999;41:1269-1273.
30. Good DC, Couch JR, Wacaser L. "Numb, clumsy hands" and high cervical spondylosis. Surg Neurol. 1984;22:285-291.
31. Kadanka Z, Bednarik J, Vohanka S, et al. Conservative treatment versus surgery in spondylotic cervical myelopathy: a prospective randomised study. Eur Spine J. 2000;9:538-544.
32. MacFadyen DJ. Posterior column dysfunction in cervical spondylotic myelopathy. Can J Neurol Sci. 1984;11:365-370.
33. Nurick S. The natural history and the results of surgical treatment of the spinal cord disorder associated with cervical spondylosis. Brain. 1972;95:101-108.
34. Rowland LP. Surgical treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy: time for a controlled trial. Neurology. 1992;42:5-13.
35. Crandall PH, Batzdorf U. Cervical spondylotic myelopathy. J Neurosurg. 1966;25: 57-66.
36. Hawkes C. Smart handles and red flags in neurological diagnosis. Hosp Med. 2002; 63:732-742.
37. Adams RD, Victor M. Diseases of the spinal cord, peripheral nerve and muscle. In: Adam RD, Victor M, eds. Principles of Neurology. 5th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Inc; 1993:1100-1101.
38. Brain WR, Northfield D, Wilkinson M. The neurological manifestations of cervical spondylosis. Brain. 1952;75:187-225.
39. Cohen DB. Infectious origins of cauda equina syndrome. Neurosurg Focus. 2004; 16:e2.
40. Thongtrangan I, Le H, Park J, Kim DH. Cauda equina syndrome in patients with low lumbar fractures. Neurosurg Focus. 2004;16:e6.
41. Arafat QW, Jackowski A, Chavda SV, West RJ. Case report: ossification of the thoracic ligamenta flava in a Caucasian - a rare cause of myelopathy. Br J Radiol. 1993; 66:1193-1196.
42. Muto M, Muto E, Izzo R, et al. Vertebroplasty in the treatment of back pain. Radiol Med (Torino). 2005;109:208-219.
43. Arce D, Sass P, Abul-Khoudoud H. Recognizing spinal cord emergencies. Am Fam Physician. 2001;64:631-638.
44. Nakamura C, Kawaguchi Y, Ishihara H, et al. Upper thoracic myelopathy caused by vertebral collapse and subluxation in rheumatoid arthritis: report of two cases. J Orthop Sci. 2004;9:629-634.
45. Kleopa KA, Zamba-Papanicolaou E, Kyriakides T. Compressive lumbar myelopathy presenting as segmental motor neuron disease. Muscle Nerve. 2003;28:69-73.
46. Kostuik JP. Medicolegal consequences of cauda equina syndrome: an overview. Neurosurg Focus. 2004;16:e8.
47. Bagley CA, Gokaslan ZL. Cauda equina syndrome caused by primary and metastatic neoplasms. Neurosurg Focus. 2004; 16:e3.
48. Batzdorf U, Flannigan BD. Surgical decompressive procedures for cervical spondylotic myelopathy: a study using magnetic resonance imaging. Spine. 1991;16: 123-127.
49. Fukushima T, Ikata T, Taoka Y, Takata S. Magnetic resonance imaging study on spinal cord plasticity in patients with cervical compression myelopathy. Spine. 1991;16: S534-S538.
50. Ono K. Cervical myelopathy secondary to multiple spondylotic protrusions: a clinicopathologic study. Spine. 1977;2:125.
51. Yousem DM, Adas SW, Hackney DB. Cervical spine disk herniation: comparison of CT and 3DFT gradient echo MR scans. J Comput Assist Tomogr. 1992;16:345-351.
52. Pui MH, Husen YA. Value of magnetic resonance myelography in the diagnosis of disc herniation and spinal stenosis. Australas Radiol. 2000;44:281-284.
53. Mizuno J, Nakagawa H, Hashizume Y. Analysis of hypertrophy of the posterior longitudinal ligament of the cervical spine, on the basis of clinical and experimental studies. Neurosurgery. 2001;49:1091-1097; discussion 1097-1098.
54. Ogino H, Tada K, Okada K, et al. Canal diameter, anteroposterior compression ratio, and spondylotic myelopathy of the cervical spine. Spine. 1983;8:1-15.
55. Ono K, Ebara S, Fuji T, et al. Myelopathy hand: new clinical signs of cervical cord damage. J Bone Joint Surg Br. 1987;69: 215-219.
56. Zeldman SM, Ducker TB, Raycroft J. Trends and complications in cervical spine surgery: 1989-1993. J Spinal Disord. 1997;10:523-526.
57. Bednarik J, Kadanka Z, Dusek L, et al. Presymptomatic spondylotic cervical cord compression. Spine. 2004;29:2260-2269.
58. Al-Mefry O, Harkey LH, Middleton TH, et al. Myelopathic cervical spondylotic lesions demonstrated by magnetic resonance imaging. J Neurosurg. 1988;68: 217-222.
59. Chen CJ, Lyu RK, Lee ST, et al. Intramedullary high signal intensity on T2-weighted MR images in cervical spondylotic myelopathy: prediction of prognosis with type of intensity. Radiology. 2001;221:789-794.
60. Kumar VG, Rea GL, Mervis LJ, McGregor JM. Cervical spondylotic myelopathy: functional and radiographic long-term outcome after laminectomy and posterior fusion. Neurosurgery. 1999;44:771-777; discussion 777-778.
61. Matsuda Y, Miyazaki K, Tada K, et al. Increased MR signal intensity due to cervical myelopathy: analysis of 29 surgical cases. J Neurosurg. 1991;74:887-892.
62. Wada E, Yonenobu K, Suzuki S, et al. Can intramedullary signal change on magnetic resonance imaging predict surgical outcome in cervical spondylotic myelopathy? Spine. 1999;24:455-461; discussion 462.
63. Sung RD, Wang JC. Correlation between a positive Hoffmann's reflex and cervical pathology in asymptomatic individuals. Spine. 2001;26:67-70.
64. Kang DX, Fan DS. The electrophysiological study of differential diagnosis between amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and cervical spondylotic myelopathy. Electromyogr Clin Neurophysiol. 1995;35:231-238.
65. De Mattei M, Paschero B, Sciarretta A, et al. Usefulness of motor evoked potentials in compressive myelopathy. Electromyogr Clin Neurophysiol. 1993;33: 205-216.
66. Singh A, Gnanalingham KK, Casey AT, Crockard A. Use of quantitative assessment scales in cervical spondylotic myelopathy: survey of clinician's attitudes. Acta Neurochir (Wien). 2005;147:1235-1238; discussion 1238.
67. Emery SE, Bohlman HH, Bolesta MJ, Jones PK. Anterior cervical decompression and arthrodesis for the treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy: two- to seventeen-year follow-up. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 1998;80:941-951.
68. Estanol BV, Marin OS. Mechanism of the inverted supinator reflex: a clinical and neurophysiological study. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1976;39:905-908.
69. Sakai N. Finger motion analysis of the patients with cervical myelopathy. Spine. 2005;30:2777-2782.
70. Wong TM, Leung HB, Wong WC. Correlation between magnetic resonance imaging and radiographic measurement of cervical spine in cervical myelopathic patients. J Orthop Surg (Hong Kong). 2004; 12:239-242.
71. Deveci M, Bozkurt M, Sengezer M. Clonus: an unusual delayed neurological complication in electrical burn injury. Burns. 2001; 27:647-651.
72. Mayer NH. Clinicophysiologic concepts of spasticity and motor dysfunction in adults with an upper motoneuron lesion. Muscle Nerve Suppl. 1997;6:S1-S13.
73. Boyle RS, Shakir RA, Weir AI, McInnes A. Inverted knee jerk: a neglected localising sign in spinal cord disease. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1979;42:1005-1007.
74. Berger JR, Fannin M. The "bedsheet" Babinski. South Med J. 2002;95:1178-1179.
75. Ghosh D, Pradhan S. "Extensor toe sign" by various methods in spastic children with cerebral palsy. J Child Neurol. 1998; 13:216-220.
76. de Freitas GR, Andre C. Absence of the Babinski sign in brain death: a prospective study of 144 cases. J Neurol. 2005;252: 106-107.
77. Hindfelt B, Rosen I, Hanko J. The significance of a crossed extensor hallucis response in neurologic disorders: a comparison with the Babinski sign. Acta Neurol Scand. 1976;53:241-250.
78. Whiting P, Rutjes AW, Dinnes J, et al. Development and validation of methods for assessing the quality of diagnostic accuracy studies. Health Technol Assess. 2004; 8:iii, 1-234.
79. Smith MS. Babinski's sign: abduction also counts. JAMA. 1979;242:1849-1850.
80. Glick TH, Workman TP, Gaufberg SV. Spinal cord emergencies: false reassurance from reflexes. Acad Emerg Med. 1998;5: 1041-1043.
81. Kumar SP, Ramasubramanian D. The Babinski sign: a reappraisal. Neurol India. 2000;48:314-318.
82. van Gijn J. The Babinski reflex. Postgrad Med J. 1995;71:645-648.
83. Glaser JA, Cure JK, Bailey KL, Morrow DL. Cervical spinal cord compression and the Hoffmann sign. Iowa Orthop J. 2001;21: 49-52.
84. Uchihara T, Furukawa T, Tsukagoshi H. Compression of brachial plexus as a diagnostic test of cervical cord lesion. Spine. 1994;19:2170-2173.
85. Fouyas IP, Statham PF, Sandercock PA. Cochrane review on the role of surgery in cervical spondylotic radiculomyelopathy. Spine. 2002;27:736-747.
86. Matsumoto M, Chiba K, Ishikawa M, et al. Relationships between outcomes of conservative treatment and magnetic resonance imaging findings in patients with mild cervical myelopathy caused by soft disc herniations. Spine. 2001;26:1592-1598.
87. Nakanishi T, Shimada Y, Toyokura Y. Somatosensory evoked responses to mechanical stimulation in normal subjects and in patients with neurological disorders. J Neurol Sci. 1974;21:289-298.
88. Ebersold MJ, Pare MC, Quast LM. Surgical treatment for cervical spondylitic myelopathy. J Neurosurg. 1995;82:745-751.
89. Kato Y, Iwasaki M, Fuji T, et al. Long-term follow-up results of laminectomy for cervical myelopathy caused by ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament. J Neurosurg. 1998;89:217-223.
90. McCormack BM, Weinstein PR. Cervical spondylosis: an update. West J Med. 1996; 165:43-51.
91. Cyriax J. Textbook of Orthopedic Medicine. Vol 1. 8th ed. London, United Kingdom: Bailliere Tindall; 1982.
92. Hoppenfeld S. Physical Examination of the Spine and Extremities. Norwalk, Conn: Appleton & Lange; 1976.
93. Magee DJ. Orthopedic Physical Assessment. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: WB Saunders Co; 1997.
94. Winkel D, Vleeming A. Diagnosis and Treatment of the Spine. Gaithersburg, Md: Aspen Publishers; 1996.
95. Yoss RE, Corbin KB, Maccarty CS, Love JG. Significance of symptoms and signs in localization of involved root in cervical disk protrusion. Neurology. 1957;7: 673-683.
96. Stiell IG, Greenberg GH, McKnight RD, et al. A study to develop clinical decision rules for the use of radiography in acute ankle injuries. Ann Emerg Med. 1992;21: 384-390.
97. Hoffman JR, Schriger DL, Mower W, et al. Low-risk criteria for cervical-spine radiography in blunt trauma: a prospective study. Ann Emerg Med. 1992;21: 1454-1460.
98. Stiell IG, Wells GA, Vandemheen KL, et al. The Canadian C-spine Rule for radiography in alert and stable trauma patients. JAMA. 2001;286:1841-1848.