Healthcare Provider Perspectives of Various Signs and Symptoms for Diagnosing Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy: Results of an International, Multidisciplinary Survey.
Publication/Presentation Date
2-1-2026
Abstract
INTRODUCTION/AIMS: Diagnosis of degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) is frequently delayed. A lack of awareness and standardized screening criteria have been identified as major contributors. The objective of this study was to conduct a survey of international experts to determine the value of various signs and symptoms in diagnosing patients with DCM. This study forms part of a three-step initiative that aims to develop pragmatic screening criteria for DCM.
METHODS: An open voluntary English-language Likert scale survey was disseminated among international networks of experts in DCM. Respondents were asked to rank each sign or symptom on a scale of 0 (not important at all) to 10 (extremely important); a mean value of ≥ 6.5 was set a priori as the threshold to consider a feature as having significant diagnostic value.
RESULTS: Fifteen symptoms and 12 signs were ranked as having significant diagnostic value. The most highly ranked symptoms are primarily related to abnormalities of the upper limb, hand function, and gait. The top-rated signs included pathological reflexes as well as impairment of motor function, gait, and coordination. Features ranked as significant were largely consistent across professions, levels of experience, and continental regions.
DISCUSSION: The integration of expert stakeholder opinion with evidence from existing literature strengthens the clinical framework for identifying key clinical features of DCM. These 27 features will be discussed at an international consensus meeting to establish a standardized clinical screening toolkit that can be used by frontline healthcare professionals to detect patients with DCM.
Volume
73
Issue
2
First Page
260
Last Page
268
ISSN
1097-4598
Published In/Presented At
Burn, L. A., Rujeedawa, T., Lalkhen, A., Martin, A. R., MacDowall, A., Kwon, B. K., Zipser, C. M., Treanor, C., Anderson, D. B., Martin-Moore, E., Guest, J., Harrop, J. S., Milligan, J., Furlan, J. C., Margetis, K., Wood, L., Onofrei, L. V., Vialle, L. R., Ito, M., Kotter, M., … AO Spine RECODE‐DCM Diagnostic Criteria Incubator (2026). Healthcare Provider Perspectives of Various Signs and Symptoms for Diagnosing Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy: Results of an International, Multidisciplinary Survey. Muscle & nerve, 73(2), 260–268. https://doi.org/10.1002/mus.70068
Disciplines
Business Administration, Management, and Operations | Health and Medical Administration | Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods
PubMedID
41334975
Department(s)
Administration and Leadership
Document Type
Article