Cutaneous silent periods in the evaluation of cord compression in cervical spondylosis.
OBJECTIVE
The clinical diagnosis of cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) may be challenging in patients with cervical spondylosis (CS). Routine nerve conduction studies (NCS) may not evaluate cord compression adequately.


METHODS
We obtained cutaneous silent periods (CSP) in 26 consecutive patients presenting with clinical features of CS, in comparison with 30 normal controls. The results were also compared with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) findings, and magnetic resonance imaging of the cervical cord as the gold standard.


RESULTS
CSP findings showed similarly high sensitivity of up to 96% with TMS in evaluating cervical cord dysfunction.


CONCLUSIONS
In specific clinical settings, CSP is of value for the diagnosis of CSM in CS. CSP measurement is advocated as a simple and rapid diagnostic adjunct to NCS in evaluating CS patients with possible cord compromise.
Lo
Y L
YL
Dept. of Neurology, National Neuroscience Institute, Singapore General Hospital, Outram Road, Singapore, 169608, Singapore. gnrlyl@sgh.com.sg
Tan
Y E
YE
Dan
Y F
YF
Leoh
T H
TH
Tan
S B
SB
Tan
C T
CT
Chan
L L
LL
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000473:pathology*; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D004576:Electromyography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D012867:Skin / Q000294:innervation*; D013117:Spinal Cord Compression / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D013128:Spinal Osteophytosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology*; D050781:Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation / Q000379:methods