Dropped head syndrome associated with cervical spondylotic myelopathy.

We report a case of an 80-year-old woman with dropped head syndrome associated with cervical spondylotic myelopathy. She could not keep her cervical spine in a neutral position for >1 minute. She had a disturbed gait and severe kyphotic deformity in her thoracic spine. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed severe compression of the spinal cord due to cervical spondylotic change. Laminoplasty from C2 through C6 levels was performed. One year after operation, she could keep her cervical spine in a neutral position easily. Her gait was also improved. The symptoms did not recur during 4 years of follow-up. We surmise that to maintain daily activities, she had to extend her cervical spine owing to the thoracic kyphotic deformity, resulting in compression of the spinal cord. The compression led to weakening of the cervical extensor muscles. Cervical laminoplasty was effective.