Author Response: Scan-Negative Cauda Equina Syndrome: A Prospective Cohort Study

We thank Dr. Amelot et al. for the response to our article.1 We are aware that in other centers only patients with positive scans are referred to neurosurgeons. In our center, and in most of the UK National Health Service system, “suspected cauda equina syndrome (CES)” cases are seen by out-of-hours neurosurgery services for urgent transfer and MRI scanning. The proportion of patients with a scan-positive CES (47/198 or 24%) was consistent with a systematic review (19%)2 and our retrospective study (28%).3