MONDAY, March 30 (HealthDay News) -- The use of the prostaglandin E1 derivative limaprost alfadex may provide symptomatic relief in patients with cervical spinal canal stenosis (CSCS), according to research published in the March 15 issue of Spine.

Taku Sugawara, M.D., Ph.D., of the Akita University School of Medicine in Akita, Japan, and colleagues analyzed data from 21 patients with mild spondylotic CSCS who had failed to improve with therapies including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, muscle relaxants and vitamin B12. Patients received 15 micrograms of daily oral limaprost, a potent vasodilator and antiplatelet agent. Japanese Orthopedic Association score, grip and release count, finger escape sign, and stabilometry were assessed before treatment and after one and three months.

After one month of treatment, patients showed significant improvement on the Japanese Orthopedic Association score, and grip and release counts, and some patients showed improvements on the finger escape sign grade. They also showed significant improvements on closed-eye stabilometry. Most patients also showed reduction in dizziness during the treatment, the investigators found.

"The present study shows that limaprost administration improves myelopathy symptoms in patients with CSCS. However, amelioration of blood flow in the cervical spinal cord by limaprost has not been proven and further study is needed to clarify the mechanism of action," the authors write.

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