[A clinical study on the morphological restoration of the spinal cord in cervical myelopathy by CT-myelography and ultrasonography].

The relationship between the pattern of spinal restoration and the degree of clinical improvements after posterior decompression for cervical myelopathy was evaluated by CT-myelography (CTM) and ultrasonography. On the basis of preliminary comparison between CTM and ultrasonographic images, the cross-sectional area, sagittal diameter, and frontal diameter of the cervical spinal cord were determined by CTM (before and 1 month after decompression) and ultrasonography (immediately after decompression during the operation). The spinal cord restoration occurred quickly just after decompression and then more slowly, and its pattern was classified into 4 types: Type 1 for neither quick nor slow restoration; type II for only quick restoration; type III for only slow restoration; and type IV for both restorations observed simultaneously. From the degree of clinical improvement in each restoration type, slow restoration appeared to be more closely related to such improvement than quick restoration despite their morphological similarities.