Surgical treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy: time for a controlled trial.

Surgical procedures on the cervical spine are accepted therapies for the myelopathy of cervical spondylosis. However, reported improvement rates vary widely, and many reports indicate improvement in about one-half of the cases. It has not been proven that outcome after surgery is better than the natural history or conservative therapy. Radiographic or imaging evidence of cord impingement or compression may be seen in asymptomatic people. There are no clear guides to the selection of patients who may benefit from the operation and there has been no standardization of preoperative evaluation, trials of conservative therapy, ascertainment of progressive disability, or assessment of outcome. A multicenter controlled trial might answer these questions.