Observational studyBMJ open2019
Route to diagnosis of degenerative cervical myelopathy in a UK healthcare system: a retrospective cohort study.
Observational study in BMJ open, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 42 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
42 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 68 citations in OpenAlex.
- The significance of metabolic disease in degenerative cervical myelopathy: a systematic review.Frontiers in neurology · 2024Pooled it
- Characterizing proprioceptive dysfunction as an early sensory indicator of mild Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy.North American Spine Society journal · 2026Article
- A protocol for developing screening criteria for degenerative cervical myelopathy: AO Spine Myelopathy.org RECODE-DCM.Spinal cord · 2026Article
- Early Diagnosis of Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy: A Systematic Review of Current Evidence.Global spine journal · 2026Review
- Article
- 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
- S-ResNet-34: small sample-ResNet-34 for predicting cervical degeneration in x-ray image data.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2025Article
- Evaluating Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist's Self-Perceived Knowledge and Understanding of the Assessment, Diagnosis and Management of Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy: A Cross-Sectional Survey.Musculoskeletal care · 2025Article
- Degenerative cervical myelopathy: timing of surgery.EFORT open reviews · 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
- Degenerative Thoracic Myelopathy: A Scoping Review of Epidemiology, Genetics, and Pathogenesis.Global spine journal · 2024Article
- The value of Clinical signs in the diagnosis of Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy - A Systematic review and Meta-analysis.Global spine journal · 2024Review
- The Frequency of Symptoms in Patients With a Diagnosis of Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy: Results of a Scoping Review.Global spine journal · 2024Article
- Article
- Analysis of risk factors for axial symptoms after posterior cervical open-door laminoplasty.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2023Article
- Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy: An Overview.Cureus · 2023Review
- A Retrospective Study of Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy and the Surgical Management Within Northern Ireland.Cureus · 2023Article
- Toward Shared Decision-Making in Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study.JMIR research protocols · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesDegenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) presents insidiously, making initial diagnosis challenging. Surgery has been shown to prevent further disability but existing spinal cord damage may be permanent. Delays in surgery lead to increased disability and reduced postoperative improvements. Therefore, rapid surgical assessment is key to improving patient outcomes. Unfortunately, diagnosis of DCM in primary care is often delayed. This study aimed to characterise patients with DCM route to diagnosis and surgical assessment as well as to plot disease progression over time.
designRetrospective, observational cohort study.
settingSingle, tertiary centre using additional clinical records from primary and secondary care centres.
participantsOne year of cervical MRI scans conducted at a tertiary neurosciences centre (n=1123) were screened for cervical cord compression, a corresponding clinical diagnosis of myelopathy and sufficient clinical documentation to plot a route to diagnosis (n=43). PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Time to diagnosis from symptom onset, route to diagnosis and disease progression were the primary outcome measures in this study. Disease severity was approximated using a prospectively validated method for inferring modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association (i-mJOA) functional scoring from clinical documentation.
resultsPatients received a referral to secondary care 6.4±7.7 months after symptom onset. Cervical MRI scanning and neurosurgical review occurred 12.5±13.0 and 15.8±13.5 months after symptom onset, respectively. i-mJOA was 16.0±1.7 at primary care assessment and 14.8±2.5 at surgical assessment. 61.0% of patients were offered operations. For those who received surgery, time between onset and surgery was 22.1±13.2 months.
conclusionsRoute to surgical assessment was heterogeneous and lengthy. Some patients deteriorated during this period. This study highlights the need for a streamlined pathway by which patients with cervical cord compression can receive timely assessment and treatment by a specialist. This would improve outcomes for patients using existing treatments.
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