The abstract discusses the complexity of myelopathy affecting the thoracic spinal cord, which can be caused by various conditions with similar symptoms and treatment approaches. The authors highlight the lack of standardized terminology in this field, which hampers research and communication. Drawing inspiration from the successful adoption of the term “degenerative cervical myelopathy” (DCM) for cervical spine conditions, they propose the introduction of “degenerative thoracic myelopathy” (DTM) and “degenerative spinal myelopathy” (DSM) as umbrella terms for thoracic and combined cervical-thoracic spinal degenerative conditions, respectively.

What’s new: The introduction of the terms DTM and DSM for standardizing the nomenclature of thoracic and spinal degenerative conditions.

Importance: Standardized terminology can facilitate better communication, research collaboration, and the establishment of internationally-agreed research priorities, similar to what has been achieved for DCM.

Contribution to literature: The proposal of these terms is based on a systematic literature search following PRISMA guidelines, which identified the range of conditions included under DTM. These conditions share common symptoms such as girdle pain, gait disturbance, leg weakness, sensory issues, and bladder or bowel dysfunction. The authors argue that adopting a common nomenclature will improve recognition and management of these conditions, as has been seen with DCM and the recent proposal for “degenerative cervical radiculopathy” (DCR).