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Mike Mitka

JAMA. 2002;287:2067.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

According to currently available evidence, surgery for patients with cervical spondylosis has no advantage over nonsurgical treatments, said researchers at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. Their report appears in the April 1 issue of Spine.

The researchers performed an extensive medical literature review to identify all studies of surgery for cervical spondylosis. Of some 13 000 articles screened, only two studies—with a total of 130 patients—met their criteria (randomization to surgery or medical treatment and "truly unconfounded").

In one study, 81 patients were assigned to surgery, physical therapy, or immobilization in a cervical collar. In the short term, surgery was more effective, reducing pain, weakness, and numbness. But at 1-year follow-up, the results were not significantly different for surgical and nonsurgical patients.

The other study looked at 49 patients whose cervical spondylosis caused symptoms related to the spinal cord itself (myelopathy). At 2-year follow-up, the results were again . . . [Full Text of this Article]