@amysterytou Cord flattening is often a sign of circumferential spinal cord compression, which usually leads to severe cervical myelopathy. I have it in my cervical spine at C3-C4. It occurs when the spinal cord is compressed from all sides, leading to significant pressure on the nerves.

It sounds like you may live in the south or Mid-Atlantic by your reference to Duke, Emory, or JHU. I live in the Raleigh-Durham area of NC and I am having my spine surgeon at Emory in Atlanta. I highly recommend you see a spine surgeon that specializes in cervical procedures. The level of expertise and experience in cervical procedures makes all the difference in your outcome and recovery. In my case, I choose experience of surgeon over the convenience of closest provider.

Dr John Rhee at Emory is such a spine surgeon, as well as Dr. Heller at Emory. I know there are a couple good ones at Johns Hopkins, such as Dr. Sang Hun Lee who is the Director of Complex Cervical Spine and Spine Tumor Surgery.

But I’ve been very disappointed with the spine surgeons and clinical practice at Duke (even though it’s close by and I am a Duke alum). It takes forever to see a doctor - like 6 month wait to get an appointment. And they spend very little time with you in consultation. A frustrating healthcare bureaucracy.

And there is always Dr. Daniel Riew in NYC at Weill Cornell/Columbia. He is the preeminent cervical spine surgeon in the U.S., if not the world.

Dr. Rhee at Emory is doing my surgery in 10 days. He and his team have been fantastic in all elements from my initial surgical consultation (where Dr. Rhee spent an hour discussing my situation) to guiding through all the pre-op activities. I trust him and his team.