We have located links that may give you full text access.
Journal Article
Review
Approach to Myelopathy.
Continuum : Lifelong Learning in Neurology 2018 April
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Myelopathy is commonly encountered in clinical practice and is associated with a large number of causes. This article reviews the anatomy of the spinal cord and discusses how the clinical findings, time course, and radiographic patterns can help to identify the causes of myelopathy.
RECENT FINDINGS: Imaging observations such as MRI "pancake" gadolinium enhancement pattern with spondylotic myelopathy and subpial enhancement with neurosarcoidosis have improved diagnostic specificity. On the other hand, common diseases such as degenerative spine disease are now recognized as presenting much more variably. Improved imaging and the identification of genetic markers enhance the specificity of diagnosis. The improved identification of biomarkers has shown that the same cause, such as compressive myelopathy, can present more variably than previously appreciated.
SUMMARY: Spinal cord dysfunction, or myelopathy, remains a clinical diagnosis, and determining the cause requires integration of clinical, laboratory, and imaging parameters, none of which have great specificity individually. Most cases of myelopathy will require further neuroimaging, and some require CSF analysis for diagnosis. This article presents an approach to the diagnosis of myelopathy based on excluding compressive myelopathy initially and then differentiating between acute and subacute processes and chronic causes.
RECENT FINDINGS: Imaging observations such as MRI "pancake" gadolinium enhancement pattern with spondylotic myelopathy and subpial enhancement with neurosarcoidosis have improved diagnostic specificity. On the other hand, common diseases such as degenerative spine disease are now recognized as presenting much more variably. Improved imaging and the identification of genetic markers enhance the specificity of diagnosis. The improved identification of biomarkers has shown that the same cause, such as compressive myelopathy, can present more variably than previously appreciated.
SUMMARY: Spinal cord dysfunction, or myelopathy, remains a clinical diagnosis, and determining the cause requires integration of clinical, laboratory, and imaging parameters, none of which have great specificity individually. Most cases of myelopathy will require further neuroimaging, and some require CSF analysis for diagnosis. This article presents an approach to the diagnosis of myelopathy based on excluding compressive myelopathy initially and then differentiating between acute and subacute processes and chronic causes.
Full text links
Related Resources
Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university
For the best experience, use the Read mobile app
All material on this website is protected by copyright, Copyright © 1994-2024 by WebMD LLC.
This website also contains material copyrighted by 3rd parties.
By using this service, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.
Your Privacy Choices
You can now claim free CME credits for this literature searchClaim now
Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university
For the best experience, use the Read mobile app