'Young' cervical spinal stenotic: a review of 118 patients younger than 51 years of age.

A 10-yr retrospective review of 460,964 admissions to a 1,000-bed community teaching hospital identified 555 patients with a diagnosis of cervical spinal stenosis. Of this number, 118 were classified as 'young.' With an occurrence rate of 26 per 100,000, in this series there was not a significant difference in sex throughout the decade. During the first 5 yrs of this study, 186 patients with cervical spinal stenosis were identified, of whom 37 were <51 yrs of age. Of 369 patients in the remaining 5-yr period with cervical spinal stenosis, 81 were <51 yrs of age. The proportion of those <51 yrs old between the two 5-yr periods was not statistically different. Although spinal stenosis, both cervical and lumbar, has been regarded as a disorder of the elderly, 21% of those with cervical spinal stenosis and 10% with lumbar spinal stenosis can be anticipated to be <51 yrs of age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]