title: Postmortem findings in a woman with history of laminoplasty for severe cervical spondylotic myelopathy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We report the autopsy of a 65-year-old woman who underwent a C3-C7 laminoplasty 4 years after the diagnosis of cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM). Her sensory disturbance, spasticity, and vesicorectal disturbance, which corresponded to long tract sign, had  improved after surgery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cross sections at the C4-C5 level showed a triangular shape because of atrophied ventral gray matter. Moreover, despite the scarce glial scar formation around the cystic cavity, regeneration of gray matter had not occurred. In the  white matter, the posterior and lateral funiculi were shrunken including three to four segments.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pathological change of white matter did not coincide with relief of clinical symptoms in this case. These findings indicate that it may be better to operate earlier  in cases of CSM, because delay may lead to irreversible histological change.
authors: Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
authors: Yukio
authors: Y
authors: Someya
authors: Masao
authors: M
authors: Koda
authors: Masayuki
authors: M
authors: Hashimoto
authors: Akihiko
authors: A
authors: Okawa
authors: Yutaka
authors: Y
authors: Masaki
authors: Masashi
authors: M
authors: Yamazaki
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007796:Laminectomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D013128:Spinal Osteophytosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein