Concomitant Cervical and Lumbar Stenosis: Strategies for Treatment and Outcomes

Concomitant cervical and lumbar spinal stenosis is an infrequently reported condition that may affect approximately 5% of patients presenting with cervical or lumbar spinal stenosis. The diagnosis is difficult, and reliance must be placed on history and physical examination when deciding whether the stenosis should be treated surgically at either region in isolation or concomitantly. Surgical treatment is usually directed at the most symptomatic level, although there are some circumstances when the cervical spine should be decompressed first regardless of symptoms. Consideration can be given to decompression of both the cervical spine and lumbar spine during the same surgery, although these patients must be carefully chosen.