Rinsho Shinkeigaku (Clinical Neurology)

Review

Diagnosis and management of cervical spondylosis

Tetsuo Ando, M.D.

Department of Neurology, Anjo Kosei Hospital

Cervical spondylosis, which can present as radiculopathy and myelopathy, is common in people over the age of 50. Since evidence of radiological spondylotic change is frequently found in many asymptomatic adults, it is necessary to assess whether neurological symptoms result from cervical spondylosis or other neurological disorders. In order to avoid misdiagnosis, it is important to compare the levels of the lesions shown on imaging with the clinical findings. Differential diagnosis between amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and cervical spondylotic myelopathy is an issue of major clinical importance. Though the course of disease development and the ultimate prognosis for patients with cervical spondylosis is highly variable and extremely difficult to predict, many patients experience a relatively benign form of the disease.
Full Text of this Article in Japanese PDF (915K)

(CLINICA NEUROL, 52: 469|479, 2012)
key words: cervical spondylosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, spinal cord sarcoidosis, differential diagnosis

(Received: 28-Mar-12)