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To explore the relationship between spinal cord compression and hypertension through analysis of blood pressure (BP) variations in a cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) cohort after surgical decompression, along with a review of the literature. A single-institution retrospective review of patients with CSM who underwent cervical decompression between 2016 and 2017 was conducted. Baseline clinical and imaging characteristics, preoperative and postoperative BP readings, heart rate, functional status, and pain scores were collected. In addition, a PRISMA guidelines–based systematic review was performed. We identified 264 patients with CSM treated surgically; 149 (56.4%) of these had hypertension. The degree of spinal canal compromise and spinal cord compression, preoperative neurologic examination, and the presence of T2-signal hyperintensity on magnetic resonance imaging were associated with hypertension. Overall mean arterial pressure (MAP) decreased significantly at 1 and 12 months after surgery. Patients without T2-signal hyperintensity on imaging showed a MAP reduction at 12 months postoperatively, whereas those with T2-signal hyperintensity showed a transient MAP reduction at 1 month postoperatively before returning to preoperative values. At 12 months after surgery, 24 of 97 patients (24.7%) with initially uncontrolled hypertension had controlled BP values with significant reduction of MAP, systolic BP, and diastolic BP. Including the present study, 5 articles were eligible for systematic review, with all reporting a BP decrease in patients with CSM after decompression. Analysis of our retrospective cohort and a systematic review suggest that cervical surgical decompression reduces BP in some patients with CSM. However, this improvement is less apparent in patients with preoperative spinal cord T2-signal hyperintensity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vertebral bone quality had a significant impact on postoperative outcomes in spinal fusion surgery. New magnetic resonance imaging−based measures, such as the Vertebral Bone Quality (VBQ) score, may allow for bone quality assessment without the radiation associated with conventional testing. In the present study, we sought to assess the intrarater and interrater reliability of VBQ scores calculated by medical professionals and trainees. Thirteen reviewers of various specialties and levels of training were recruited and asked to calculate VBQ scores for 30 patients at 2 time points separated by 2 months. Scored volumes were acquired from patients treated for both degenerative and oncologic indications. Intrarater and interrater agreement, quantified by intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), was assessed using 2-way random effects modeling. Square-weight Cohen κ and Kendall Tau-b were used to determine whether raters assigned similar scores during both evaluations. All raters showed moderate to excellent reliability for VBQ score (ICC 0.667−0.957; κ0.648−0.921) and excellent reliability for all constituent components used to calculate VBQ score (ICC all ≥0.97). Interrater reliability was also found to be good for VBQ score on both the first (ICC = 0.818) and second (ICC = 0.800) rounds of assessment; scores for the constituent component all had ICC values ≥0.97 for the constituent components. The VBQ score appears to have both good intrarater and interrater reliability. In addition, there appeared to be no correlation between score reliability and level of training. External validation and further investigations of its ability to accurately model bone biomechanical properties are necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]