Objective: To investigate the clinical, electromyographic, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) manifestations of the patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) and the correlation among them.
Method: 96 CSM patients, 56 males and 40 females, aged 53 (2/32-72), underwent electromyography (EMG) of the deltoid muscle (C5), biceps muscle of arm (C6), common extensor muscle of fingers (C7), and short abductor muscle of thumb and abductor muscle of little finger (C8-T), and MRI of the cervical vertebrae before surgical treatment. The clinical symptoms were graded according to the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scoring system. The correlation among the JOA score, MIR classification, and EMG manifestation was analyzed.
Results: EMG showed that 61 of the 96 patients (64%) with root injury at C5, 6, 7, and 8. Those positive in EMG showed higher severity in MRI (Z=2.863, P=0.004). The JOA score was not correlated with the degree of spinal cord compression demonstrated by MRI and the EMG results.
Conclusion: The root injury rate is high in the CSM patients. The patients positive in EMG have severe MRI results. No clear correlation is between the severity of clinical symptom and MRI of cervical vertebrae and root injury demonstrated by EMG. Hence, treatment should be considered by integration of EMG, MRI and JOA scores.