Erythropoietin administrated in the perioperative period of severe cervical spondylotic myelopathy

Abstract

Objective To study the applied value of erythropoietin (EPO) in patients with severe cervical spondylotic myelopathy during perioperative period.Methods From June 2009 to June 2010,43 patients with severe cervical spondylotic myelopathy were subjected to decompression surgery,including 22 cases (group A) given EPO (3000 IU,three times per week for 8 weeks,and 21 cases (group B) without application of EPO perioperatively.The neurological function in perioperative period was compared in terms of JOA and ODOM score systems between two groups.Results All the patients were followed up for at least 12 months after the surgery,and there were no deaths in the perioperative period.No complications occurred at the end of the follow-up duration.All patients in both two groups had great improvement in JOA and ODOM score in different periods when compared to the preoperative score.Group A had a much higher score in JOA and ODOM than group B one year after the surgery (P ＜0.05).Conclusion The application of EPO during the perioprative period would gready improve the recovery rate of neurological function in patients with severe cervical spondylotic myelopathy,and the usage was safe and effective. Key words: Erythropoietin; Cervical spondylotic myelopathy