Does Early Surgical Decompression in Cauda Equina Syndrome Improve Bladder Outcome?
The authors' conclusion that in CESR patients, "no statistically significant difference in outcome was observed" regarding timing of surgery is not justified as a representation of their findings, because absence of statistical significance does not mean acceptance of the null hypothesis of "no effect". Their numeric results do show elevated risk of delay. We do not want to detract from the basic importance of this study, because it emphasizes the importance of operating expeditiously on patients with CESI. However, the authors' conclusions are compromised by the methodological problems.
Bilateral assessments of ECU, TB, and FDL tendons were as sensitive to change as the sum scores of all tendons, and scoring of this reduced number of tendons is suggested to be included in US scorings for follow-up of RA patients.