Cervical Compressive Myeloradiculopathy in Neurosurgery Consultation at Kipe Sino-Guinea Friendship Hospital: Epidemiological, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Aspects

Objective: To describe the epidemiological, clinical and therapeutic aspects of cervical compressive myeloradiculopathy seen in neurosurgery consultation at the Sino-Guinean Friendship Hospital (HASIGUI). Material and Methods: A prospective descriptive study was conducted at the Neurosurgery Department of the Sino-Guinean Friendship Hospital (Guinea, Conakry) over a 6-month period between May and November 2021. All patients seen in consultation, in whom the diagnosis of cervical compressive myeloradiculopathy (CRM) was established, were included. A survey form was used to collect epidemiological, clinical and therapeutic characteristics. Results: The hospital prevalence of cervical compressive myeloradiculopathy was 13.33%, or 42 cases among 315 neurosurgical pathologies. Men predominated (n = 34; 81%) with a mean age of 52.8 ± 11.4 years and extremes of 38 and 81 years; the professional categories of administrators and professionals were affected in the same proportion (15 cases, or 35.7% of cases); chronic neck pain was found in 38 patients (88.4%) as a previous history. The most common reasons for consultation were: neck pain (100% of cases), paresthesia of the fingertips (92.9% of cases), cervicobrachial neuralgia (78.6% of cases), weakness of the upper limbs (64.3% of cases), cramps (61.9%), sphincter disorders (38.1% of cases). The most common cause found on the basis of neuroimaging was cervicarthrosis in 40.3% of the cases, with an improvement of medical treatment in 59.5% and surgical decompression in 19% of the cases. Conclusion: Cervical compressive myeloradiculopathy is increasingly diagnosed in our working environment. It is the prerogative of the elderly subject, who has male predominance. Neurological signs are in the foreground. CT and/or MRI is the imaging test of choice for diagnosis.