Abstract
Thoracic myelopathy is an infrequent occurrence and is often overlooked as a diagnosis given its low incidence and wide variety of symptoms. It most likely results from cord compression associated with degenerative changes and intervertebral disc herniation with the presence of calcification. Symptoms usually develop gradually, causing gait dysfunction, lower extremity numbness/weakness, and back pain. A MRI scan provides optimal visualization of both the thoracic spinal canal and cord. Conservative management with close neurologic observation may be appropriate for some patients with minimum clinical findings of myelopathy, whereas surgical consultation should be considered for patients with progressive neurological deficits or moderate to severe disease (Tavee and Levin, Continuum (Minneap Minn) 21(1 Spinal Cord Disorders):52–66, 2015).
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Burkard, G.P., Boudakian, C.V., Ahn, J.H. (2017). Thoracic Myelopathy. In: Kahn, S., Xu, R. (eds) Musculoskeletal Sports and Spine Disorders. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-50512-1_90
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-50512-1_90
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