title: Dynamics of neurological deficit after surgical decompression of symptomatic vertebral metastases.
abstract: METHODS
  We conducted a retrospective study to examination the influence of preoperative duration of symptoms on the clinical outcome of patients that underwent surgical decompression because of neurologic deficit in metastatic disease of the spine. OBJECTIVES.: Our aim was to investigate possible correlations between the duration of neurologic deficit before surgery and postoperative outcome with respect to neural recovery in patients with spinal metastases, and second, based on those results, propose criteria for the timing of surgery in these patients.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  It has not yet been determined whether the duration of preoperative symptoms has an influence on the postoperative outcome of patients with vertebral metastases. A standardized treatment or protocol defining a strategy of surgical treatment has yet to be designed.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study includes 194 patients. The duration of symptoms before surgical treatment and the neurologic status before and after operation were determined and classified according to the Frankel score.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 401 patients, who underwent surgery due to metastases to the spine, 194 suffered from neurologic deficit. Analyzing the postoperative neurostatus in these patients revealed an improvement in 78 patients (40%), impairment in 13 patients (7%), and in 103 patients it did not change. The relation of duration of neurologic symptoms before surgery, and the outcome after an operation was highly significant (P < 0.001). In patients with less than 3 days of neurologic deficit, the probability of improvement in neurostatus was highly significantly higher (P < 0.001) than in patients with neurologic deficit existing for more than 15 days.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with neurologic deficit because of spinal bone metastases benefit from early operative intervention. Urgent surgery is indicated in patients with less than 3 days of neurologic deficit.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany. chessler@uke.uni-hamburg.de
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hessler
authors.forename: Till
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Burkhardt
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Raimund
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Regelsberger
authors.forename: Eik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vettorazzi
authors.forename: Juergen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Madert
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Eggers
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019299:Decompression, Surgical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007431:Intraoperative Complications; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013120:Spinal Cord Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery*; D013130:Spinal Stenosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult