Eur Spine J, 2009 · DOI: 10.1007/s00586-009-0891-2 · Published: February 12, 2009
This study investigates the effectiveness of extensive cervical laminoplasty for treating spinal cord sarcoidosis combined with spondylotic changes or cervical spinal canal stenosis. Three patients with spinal cord sarcoidosis underwent open-door laminoplasty and intensive corticosteroid therapy. The study found that operative outcomes were not satisfactory and clinical courses fluctuated after steroid treatment. The authors suggest that spinal cord sarcoidosis should be considered in differential diagnoses when MRI shows high signal intensity within the spinal cord in patients with spondylotic changes and that laminoplasty is not effective for treating spinal cord sarcoidosis in these cases.
Spinal cord sarcoidosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis when MRI shows high signal intensity within the spinal cord in patients with spondylotic changes.
Patients with neurosarcoidosis, even with cord compression, should initially be treated with steroid administration rather than laminoplasty.
Laminoplasty is not recommended as an effective intervention for the treatment of spinal cord sarcoidosis, even when patients have spondylotic changes.