Management of Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy and Spinal Cord Injury

Dear Colleagues,

Degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) and traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) represent two of the most important conditions affecting the spinal cord, affecting millions of individuals worldwide and causing substantial disability. DCM and SCI are unique pathologies with marked differences in etiology and demographics, but they show many similarities in terms of anatomical features, pathophysiological mechanisms, and therapeutic challenges, offering several benefits to studying these conditions in parallel. Clinical management of these conditions has evolved substantially over several decades, including clinical assessments, imaging, electrophysiology studies, non-operative therapies, operative techniques, and rehabilitation strategies. Clinical decision-making is increasingly informed by clinical practice guidelines sponsored by neurosurgical and spine organizations, but these guidelines are a work in progress and leave many areas of uncertainty for clinicians. In the near future, we can expect the management of DCM and SCI to change dramatically as high-quality evidence and novel imaging tools, surgical technologies, and biological therapies become available. This issue of the Journal of Clinical Medicine offers a snapshot of current evidence and state-of-the-art clinical practice, and a forecast of what the future may look like for the management of DCM and SCI.

Dr. Allan R. Martin
Dr. Aria Nouri
Guest Editor

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