Sharma Suhani, Sial Alisha, Sima Stone, Diwan Ashish
Spine Labs, St George and Sutherland Clinical school, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Spine Service, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, St George and Sutherland Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Spinal Cord. 2025 Mar;63(3):171-180. doi: 10.1038/s41393-025-01065-1. Epub 2025 Feb 26.
STUDY DESIGN: Scoping Review. OBJECTIVE: Degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) is a leading cause of chronic spinal cord dysfunction, with diverse clinical presentations that complicate diagnosis. Therefore, it is important to identify the signs and symptoms of DCM that demonstrate high diagnostic accuracy. This review aims to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of signs and symptoms in diagnosing DCM. METHODS: Articles up to June 2024 were retrieved from PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases using search terms like "degenerative cervical myelopathy", "cervical spondylotic myelopathy", "sensitivity", "specificity", and related signs and symptoms. Studies were screened based on selection criteria assessing the sensitivity and specificity of signs or symptoms using an appropriate control group. RESULTS: Sixteen studies were included. The most sensitive signs were Tromner sign (93-97%) and hyperreflexia (15-85%). Specific signs included the Babinski sign (93-100%), Tromner sign (79-100%), clonus (96-99%), and inverted supinator sign (78-99%). Neck pain had a sensitivity of 76-94% and specificity of 11-73%. Hand incoordination showed 52% sensitivity and 92% specificity. Altered hand sensation had 76% sensitivity and 90% specificity. Upper extremity weakness had 51-75% sensitivity and 18-95% specificity. Gait imbalance exhibited 56-63% sensitivity and 52-95% specificity. CONCLUSION: Sensitive signs like the Tromner sign and hyperreflexia are useful for screening, while specific signs such as Babinski, clonus, and the inverted supinator sign aid in confirmation of DCM. Symptoms like neck pain, hand incoordination, and altered hand sensation should heighten suspicion and guide differential diagnosis. Early and accurate diagnosis using these indicators can improve patient outcomes and reduce diagnostic delays.
研究设计:范围综述。 目的:退行性颈椎脊髓病(DCM)是慢性脊髓功能障碍的主要原因,其临床表现多样,使诊断变得复杂。因此,识别具有高诊断准确性的DCM体征和症状很重要。本综述旨在评估体征和症状在诊断DCM中的敏感性和特异性。 方法:使用“退行性颈椎脊髓病”、“颈椎病性脊髓病”、“敏感性”、“特异性”以及相关体征和症状等检索词,从PubMed、EMBASE和Cochrane数据库中检索截至2024年6月的文章。根据使用适当对照组评估体征或症状敏感性和特异性的选择标准对研究进行筛选。 结果:纳入了16项研究。最敏感的体征是特勒姆内征(93 - 97%)和反射亢进(15 - 85%)。特异性体征包括巴宾斯基征(93 - 100%)、特勒姆内征(79 - 100%)、阵挛(96 - 99%)和旋前圆肌征倒置(78 - 99%)。颈部疼痛的敏感性为76 - 94%,特异性为11 - 73%。手部协调性差的敏感性为52%,特异性为92%。手部感觉改变的敏感性为76%,特异性为90%。上肢无力的敏感性为51 - 75%,特异性为18 - 95%。步态失衡的敏感性为56 - 63%,特异性为52 - 95%。 结论:像特勒姆内征和反射亢进这样的敏感体征有助于筛查,而诸如巴宾斯基征、阵挛和旋前圆肌征倒置等特异性体征有助于DCM的确诊。颈部疼痛、手部协调性差和手部感觉改变等症状应提高怀疑并指导鉴别诊断。使用这些指标进行早期准确诊断可改善患者预后并减少诊断延迟。
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