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Surgical intervention effective for spinal cord injuries without radiographic abnormality
According to results in a recently published study, adult patients with spinal cord injuries without radiographic abnormality with spondylosis responded well to surgical intervention.
Researchers enrolled 52 patients with spinal cord injuries without radiographic abnormality (SCIWORA) with spondylosis, separating the patients into three groups based on timing of surgery following their injuries. The groups comprised 17 patients who underwent surgery less than 24 hours after injury, 22 patients who underwent surgery more than 24 hours after injury, during initial admission and within 3 weeks from injury, and 13 patients who underwent surgery during second admission to the hospital, between 3 weeks and 3 months after injury.
Results showed all groups reported improved outcomes after surgery, with mean recovery rates based on American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) and Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scores of 68.6% and 60.2%, respectively, at final follow-up. Although the time of the surgery was found to not have a significant impact on patients’ rates of recovery, surgery occurring at less than 3 months since the time of injury was statistically significantly associated with patients’ neurologic recovery, according to the researchers. – by Robert Linnehan
Disclosure: Researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.