Abstract: Objective To investigate the effects of methylprednisolone (MP) on the recovery of postoperative neurological functions due to cervical spondylotic myelopathy.Methods 114 patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy were divided into the MP group and the control group with 57 cases in each group. The cases of the MP group were treated with MP (20 mg/kg, iv) 30 min prior to the decompression. Those of the control group underwent anterior decompression only. The complications of patients in two groups were compared. The neurological functions of all patients were graded according the ASIA score system preoperatively and at 1st day, 2nd week and 6th month postoperatively.Results Compared with the control group, the neurological functions of the cases in the MP group improved significantly after operation ( P＜0.05).Conclusion For patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy, MP used during operation can improve postoperative neurological function recovery.

Key words: methylprednisolone, cervical spondylotic myelopathy, neurological function