ArticlePloS one2018
Assessment of degenerative cervical myelopathy differs between specialists and may influence time to diagnosis and clinical outcomes.
Article in PloS one, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06528730 (A Novel Surgical Criteria for Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy in Chinese Ethnicity), which is not on this map. Cited by 31 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
A Novel Surgical Criteria for Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy in Chinese Ethnicity
Who cites it
31 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 52 citations in OpenAlex.
- The significance of metabolic disease in degenerative cervical myelopathy: a systematic review.Frontiers in neurology · 2024Pooled it
- A protocol for developing screening criteria for degenerative cervical myelopathy: AO Spine Myelopathy.org RECODE-DCM.Spinal cord · 2026Article
- Diagnostic and Surgical Decision-Making for Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy: A Survey With Post-Stratification Analysis.Global spine journal · 2026Article
- Article
- Association between perioperative patient-reported outcomes and upper extremity functional performance in degenerative cervical myelopathy.North American Spine Society journal · 2026Article
- Clinically-guided models or foundation models? predicting cervical spondylotic myelopathy from electronic health records.NPJ digital medicine · 2026Article
- Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy Diagnosis and Its Differentiation from Neurological Mimics, MS and ALS: A Literature Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
- Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy in a Veteran Chiropractic Patient Referred for Lumbar Radicular Pain: A Case Report.Journal of chiropractic medicine · 2025Article
- Duration of symptoms before diagnosis in degenerative cervical myelopathy: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Brain & spine · 2025Review
- Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy Awareness in Primary Care: UK National Cross-Sectional Survey of General Practitioners.JMIR formative research · 2024Article
- Management of mild degenerative cervical myelopathy and asymptomatic spinal cord compression: an international survey.Spinal cord · 2024Article
- Osteopathy in the Early Diagnosis and Management of Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy: National Survey.JMIR formative research · 2023Article
- Life expectancy in patients with degenerative cervical myelopathy is currently reduced but can be restored with timely treatment.Acta neurochirurgica · 2023Observational
- Myelopathy disability index: establishing criteria for mild, moderate and severe impairment in patients with degenerative cervical myelopathy.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2023Article
- Article
- Targeting earlier diagnosis: What symptoms come first in Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy?PloS one · 2023Article
- Article
- Moving Beyond the Neck and Arm: The Pain Experience of People With Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy Who Have Pain.Global spine journal · 2022Article
- Hospitalisation for degenerative cervical myelopathy in England: insights from the National Health Service Hospital Episode Statistics 2012 to 2019.Acta neurochirurgica · 2022Article
- Outcomes of Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy From The Perspective of Persons Living With the Condition: Findings of a Semistructured Interview Process With Partnered Internet Survey.Global spine journal · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
introductionDegenerative Cervical Myelopathy [DCM] often presents with non-specific symptoms and signs. It progresses insidiously and leads to permanent neurological dysfunction. Decompressive surgery can halt disease progression, however significant delays in diagnosis result in increased disability and limit recovery. The nature of early DCM symptoms is unknown, moreover it has been suggested incomplete examination contributes to missed diagnosis. This study examines how DCM is currently assessed, if assessment differs between stages of healthcare, and whether this influences patient management. STUDY
designRetrospective cohort study.
methodsCervical MRI scans (N = 1123) at a tertiary neurosciences center, over a single year, were screened for patients with DCM (N = 43). Signs, symptoms, and disease severity of DCM were extracted from patient records. Patients were considered at 3 phases of clinical assessment: primary care, secondary care, and surgical assessment.
resultsUpper limb paraesthesia and urinary dysfunction were consistently the most and least prevalent symptoms respectively. Differences between assessing clinicians were present in the reporting of: limb pain (p<0.005), objective limb weakness (p = 0.01), hyperreflexia (p<0.005), Hoffmann reflex (p<0.005), extensor plantar reflex (p = 0.007), and lower limb spasticity (p<0.005). Pathological reflexes were least frequently assessed by primary care doctors.
conclusionDCM assessment varies significantly between assessors. Reporting of key features of DCM is especially low in primary care. Incomplete assessment may hinder early diagnosis and referral to spinal surgery.
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