Outcomes for Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy Following Implementation of the AO Spine International Guidelines: A Single-Centre Service Evaluation

Abstract

Introduction: Degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) is a syndrome of symptomatic cervical spinal cord compression due to degenerative spinal changes. Until recently there was no formal consensus on exactly which patients are suitable for surgical or conservative management. The AO Spine international guidelines were introduced to address this issue, based on the best available current evidence. However, their implementation into routine clinical practice has not yet been reported. The objective was to evaluate surgical outcomes following the implementation of the AO Spine guidelines at our spinal neurosurgical centre. Methods: A service evaluation was conducted using data collected from electronic healthcare records for 259 patients, with outcomes of interest including change in mJOA score and complications. Data from 193 patients were included in the final analysis. Results: There was a mean improvement of the mJOA score by 1.53 points, 1.44 point and 1.92 points at post-operative intervals of 3 months (P