Effects of surgical treatment for cervical spondylotic myelopathy in patients > or = 70 years of age: a retrospective comparative study.

The objective of this study was to compare efficacy of cervical surgery for myelopathy in patients > or = 70 and < or = 60 years of age. Forty patients > or = 70 years and 50 patients < or = 60 years of age with MRI and CT proven myelopathy were neurologically assessed using the JOA score. Three operative procedures were performed: anterior spinal fusion, laminoplasty, and laminectomy. Postoperatively, patients exhibited comparable outcomes irrespective of age or operative procedure performed. The only exception was the increase in postoperative neurologic complications noted for the older individuals with greater comorbidities.