Prognostic value of preoperative Nurick grade and time with symptoms in patients with cervical myelopathy and gait impairment

Abstract Object To investigate the prognostic value of preoperative Nurick grade and time with symptoms for gait improvement and recovery in patients with ataxia secondary to cervical myelopathy. Methods A retrospective chart review of all adult patients who underwent surgical decompression for cervical myelopathy between 1996 and 2013 was performed. Only adults with a Nurick grade of at least 2 or worse were included. Outcome measures included gait improvement and recovery. Results A total of 170 patients were identified. Gait improvement and gait recovery occurred in 57.7% and 45.9% of patients, respectively. Time to improvement occurred as early as 1 month up to 24 months postoperatively. A higher preoperative Nurick grade was associated with lower odds of gait improvement (OR 0.74; 95% CI, 0.53 - 0.99, p=0.048) and gait recovery (OR 0.27; 95% CI, 0.17 - 0.43, p