• Mohammad Baraka, Adithya Varma, Isaac Mayo, Ravindra Nannapaneni, Stephen McGillion, Emad Shenouda, Ali Nader-Sepahi, Christopher Dare, Malik Zaben, and Anan Shtaya.
• Wessex Spinal Unit, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, United Kingdom.
• World Neurosurg. 2022 Nov 1; 167: e732e737e732-e737.

ObjectiveTo investigate if COVID-19 UK lockdown measures resulted in a delay in the presentation and treatment of patients with cauda equina syndrome (CES).MethodsThis is a multicenter retrospective study of patients with surgically treated CES across 3 time periods: April-May 2020 (first lockdown), August-September 2020 (no-lockdown group), and January-February 2021 (second lockdown). Data regarding duration of symptoms, time from referral to admission, time from admission to surgery, and postoperative outcomes were collected.ResultsA total of 56 patients (male: 26, female: 30, mean age: 44.3 years) were included in the study (n = 14, n = 18, and n = 24 in the 3 time periods, respectively). There was no significant difference in duration of symptoms across the time periods (12.6 days vs. 8.2 days vs. 3.8 days) (P = 0.16). Nearly all the patients were admitted within 48 hours of referral (n = 55, 98.2%). The majority of patients were operated on within 48 hours: first lockdown (n = 12, 85.7%), no-lockdown (n = 16, 88.9%), and second lockdown (n = 21, 87.5%). The length of hospital stay was significantly shorter in the second lockdown (3.3 days) versus the other 2 time periods (4.4 days and 6.4 days) (P = 0.02). Thirteen complications were present, with dural tear being the most common (n = 6, 10.7%). Majority reported symptom improvement (n = 53, 94.6%), with a similar number discharged home (n = 54, 96.4%).ConclusionDespite the pandemic, patients with CES were promptly admitted and operated on with good outcomes. Shorter duration of hospital stay could be attributed to adaptation of spinal services.Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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