What is "myelopathy"

n. 1 A disorder in which the tissue of the spinal cord is diseased or damaged. 2 A disturbance or disease of the spinal cord.

Myelopathy describes any neurologic deficit related to the spinal cord. When due to trauma, it is known as (acute) spinal cord injury. When inflammatory, it is known as myelitis. Disease that is vascular in nature is known as vascular myelopathy. The most common form of myelopathy in human, cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM), is caused by arthritic changes ( spondylosis) of the cervical spine, which result in narrowing of the spinal canal ( spinal stenosis) ultimately causing compression of the spinal cord. In Asian populations, spinal cord compression often occurs due to a different, inflammatory process affecting the posterior longitudinal ligament.

Clinical signs and symptoms depend on which spinal cord level (cervical, thoracic or lumbar) is affected and the extent (anterior, posterior or lateral) of the pathology, and may include:

• upper motor neuron signs (weakness, spasticity, clumsiness, altered tonus, hyperreflexia and pathological reflexes, including Hoffmann's sign and inverted Plantar reflex (positive Babinski sign))
• lower motor neuron signs (weakness, clumsiness in the muscle group innervated at the level of spinal cord compromise, muscle atrophy, hyporeflexia, muscle hypotonicity or flaccidity, fasciculations)
• sensory deficits
• bowel/bladder symptoms and sexual dysfunction.