Experimental Study of Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy

Experimental cervical spondylotic myelopathy was presented to examine the role of the small canal and its pathogenesis.Method: Three nails were inserted in C4, C5, C6 spine of 40 rabbits through the anterior approach to a depth of 0.25mm at intervals of 3 weeks.Result: Based on observation of the gait, 10 rabbits developed “delayed paralysis”, when sagittal canal diameter of 45% was kept on an average of 8 months after the operation. Microangiography showed reduced filling of the vessels in the cord. Central artery and its branches were deformed, with elongation of the arteries in the lateral columns. The main pathological change was the demyelination around the gray matter to lateral column. These changes extended about two segments proximal or distal to the compressed region.