Operated family cases of cervical canal stenosis

Abstract A cervical myelopathy due to narrow spinal canal (congenital factor added with spondylotic changes) is common. But, reports of operated family cases are few. In this paper, we report on operated two-family cases. The first family involved a 34-year-old male and his 72-year-old mother. The second family involved a 73-year-old female and her 55-year-old daughter. The symptom in two cases was caused by trauma and the other cases showed gradually progressing myelopathy. In clinical experience, non-symptomatic narrow cervical canal cases are numerous in Japan. Severe cord injury is easily caused by minor trauma in narrow cervical canal cases. In these cases, we advise the education of prevention for patients and their families. The means of prevention include first being conscious of the existence of the narrowness of the cervical canal, and to limit neck movement as much as possible.