scholarly journals Correlation of magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging parameters with American Spinal Injury Association score for prognostication and long-term outcomes

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. E2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saman Shabani ◽  
Mayank Kaushal ◽  
Matthew Budde ◽  
Shekar N. Kurpad

OBJECTIVEConventional MRI is routinely used to demonstrate the anatomical site of spinal cord injury (SCI). However, quantitative and qualitative imaging parameters have limited use in predicting neurological outcomes. Currently, there are no reliable neuroimaging biomarkers to predict short- and long-term outcome after SCI.METHODSA prospective cohort of 23 patients with SCI (19 with cervical SCI [CSCI] and 4 with thoracic SCI [TSCI]) treated between 2007 and 2014 was included in the study. The American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) score was determined at the time of arrival and at 1-year follow-up. Only 15 patients (12 with CSCI and 3 with TSCI) had 1-year follow-up. Whole-cord fractional anisotropy (FA) was determined at C1–2, following which C1–2 was divided into upper, middle, and lower segments and the corresponding FA value at each of these segments was calculated. Correlation analysis was performed between FA and ASIA score at time of arrival and 1-year follow-up.RESULTSCorrelation analysis showed a positive but nonsignificant correlation (p = 0.095) between FA and ASIA score for all patients (CSCI and TCSI) at the time of arrival. Additional regression analysis consisting of only patients with CSCI showed a significant correlation (p = 0.008) between FA and ASIA score at time of arrival as well as at 1-year follow-up (p = 0.025). Furthermore, in case of patients with CSCI, a significant correlation between FA value at each of the segments (upper, middle, and lower) of C1–2 and ASIA score at time of arrival was found (p = 0.017, p = 0.015, and p = 0.002, respectively).CONCLUSIONSIn patients with CSCI, the measurement of diffusion anisotropy of the high cervical cord (C1–2) correlates significantly with injury severity and long-term follow-up. However, this correlation is not seen in patients with TSCI. Therefore, FA can be used as an imaging biomarker for evaluating neural injury and monitoring recovery in patients with CSCI.

2005 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 332-337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Figen Yilmaz ◽  
Fusun Sahin ◽  
Semra Aktug ◽  
Banu Kuran ◽  
Adem Yilmaz

Objective. The aim of this study was to evaluate the motor, sensory, and functional recovery in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). Methods. Forty-one patients with SCI participated in this study. Twenty patients were evaluated after discharge. Each patient was evaluated by the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) impairment scale and the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) at admission, before discharge, and at least at 6 months after discharge. Friedman, Dunn, and Mann-Whitney U tests were used for statistical analysis. Results. There were 17 male and 3 female patients. Seven patients had complete SCI, and 13 patients had incomplete SCI. The evaluation of motor, sensory, and FIM scores at admission showed significant improvement in all of the patients during the follow-up period (P < 0.0001). Five incompletely injured cases improved with regard to ASIA staging. Motor and FIM scores significantly increased at follow-up for converted and unconverted patients. All parameters increased at follow-up in patients who were complete and incomplete. Motor scores significantly increased at discharge and at follow-up. FIM scores also increased significantly at follow-up in incomplete patients. Conclusion. Motor, sensory, and FIM scores increased in patients with SCI after a follow-up period of 18 months. Improvement to a higher ASIA stage could be accomplished by 25% of the patients. Although both complete and incomplete patients recovered significantly at the follow-up period, only incompletely injured cases could convert to a higher ASIA stage.


2009 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 445-460 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott P. Falci ◽  
Charlotte Indeck ◽  
Daniel P. Lammertse

Object Permanent neurological loss after spinal cord injury (SCI) is a well-known phenomenon. There has also been a growing recognition and improved understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms of late progressive neurological loss, which may occur after SCI as a result of posttraumatic spinal cord tethering (SCT), myelomalacia, and syringomyelia. A clinical study of 404 patients sustaining traumatic SCIs and undergoing surgery to arrest a progressive myelopathy caused by SCT, with or without progressive myelomalacia and cystic cavitation (syringomyelia) was undertaken. Both objective and subjective long-term outcomes were evaluated. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first series of this size correlating long-term patient perception of outcome with long-term objective outcome analyses. Methods During the period from January 1993 to November 2003, 404 patients who had previously sustained traumatic SCIs underwent 468 surgeries for progressive myelopathies attributed to tethering of the spinal cord to the surrounding spinal canal, with or without myelomalacia and syrinx formation. Forty-two patients were excluded because of additional pathological entities that were known to contribute to a progressive myelopathy. All surgeries were performed by the same neurosurgeon at a single SCI treatment center and by using a consistent surgical technique of spinal cord detethering, expansion duraplasty, and when indicated, cyst shunting. Results Outcome data were collected up to 12 years postoperatively. Comparisons of pre- and postoperative American Spinal Injury Association sensory and motor index scores showed no significant change when only a single surgery was required (86% of patients). An outcome questionnaire and phone interview resulted in > 90% of patients self-assessing arrest of functional loss; > 50% of patients self-assessing improvement of function; 17 and 18% self-assessing improvement of motor and sensory functions to a point greater than that achieved at any time postinjury, respectively; 59% reporting improvement of spasticity; and 77% reporting improvement of hyperhidrosis. Conclusions Surgery for spinal cord detethering, expansion duraplasty, and when indicated, cyst shunting, is a successful treatment strategy for arresting a progressive myelopathy related to posttraumatic SCT and syringomyelia. Results suggest that surgery leads to functional return in ~ 50% of patients, and that in some patients posttraumatic SCT limits maximal recovery of spinal cord function postinjury. A patient's perception of surgery's failure to arrest the progressive myelopathy corresponds closely with the need for repeat surgery because of retethering, cyst reexpansion, and pseudomeningocele formation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 94-105
Author(s):  
Naifeng Kuang ◽  
Xiaoyu Wang ◽  
Yuexia Chen ◽  
Guifeng Liu ◽  
Fan’e Kong ◽  
...  

Spinal cord injury is a serious disabling condition. Transplantation of olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) is one of the most promising treatments for spinal cord injury (SCI). Thirty-nine patients with chronic SCI received OEC transplantation and completed long-term follow-up, with a minimum follow-up of 7 years. We assessed sensorimotor function with the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale (AIS) and autonomic nervous function by the International Standards to document remaining Autonomic Function after Spinal Cord Injury (ISAFSCI), and sympathetic skin responses (SSR). The scores of each group were significantly higher after OECs transplantation than before treatment. SSR latencies were shorter and response amplitudes increased after treatment. Long-term follow-up showed further improvement only in motor function and autonomic function compared with 3 months postoperatively. No complications occurred in any patient during long-term follow-up. The results indicate that the transplantation of OECs in spinal cord restored function without serious side effects.


2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 412-418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rouzbeh Motiei-Langroudi ◽  
Homa Sadeghian

<sec><title>Study Design</title><p>Retrospective study.</p></sec><sec><title>Purpose</title><p>To evaluate how motor, sensory, and urinary outcomes of spinal cord injury (SCI) patients were influenced in the long term.</p></sec><sec><title>Overview of Literature</title><p>SCI is a potentially disabling and devastating neurological outcome that can occur because of spinal column fractures. Most studies have not evaluated or have failed to show the influence of different surgical approaches and other parameters on neurological recovery.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>A thorough history regarding sensory, motor, and urinary complaints was taken from 103 patients with SCI due to vertebral fracture; patients were followed by a thorough neurological examination. Subsequently, all medical records of patients, including neurological state after trauma, trauma mechanism, treatment protocol, surgical protocol, and imaging findings, were evaluated.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>Of the 103 patients, 73.8% were survivors of a major earthquake and 26.2% were victims of vehicle accidents; 92.2% patients were surgically treated, while 7.8% underwent conservative management. The mean follow-up duration was 10.3 years. In follow-up visits, 67.0%, 12.6%, 13.6%, and 6.8% patients showed no, partial, substantial, and complete motor improvement, respectively; 68.0%, 26.2%, and 5.8% showed no, mild, and substantial sensory improvement, respectively; and 73.8%, 17.5%, and 8.7% showed no, substantial, and complete urinary improvement, respectively. Logistic regression analysis showed that sex, age at injury time, follow-up duration, trauma mechanism, and stem cell therapy had no effect on motor, sensory, and urinary improvement. Higher initial scores on the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) classification, lumbar fracture level, and performance of laminectomy improved motor outcome; higher initial ASIA scores improved urinary and sensory outcomes.</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusions</title><p>The initial ASIA score is the most important factor for prognosticating motor, sensory, and urinary improvement in SCI patients. Lumbar (L3–L5) and thoracic (T1–T10) fractures have the best and worst prognosis, respectively, in terms of motor recovery. Laminectomy during surgery improves motor function.</p></sec>


2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Yanan Liu ◽  
Zongyi Wang ◽  
Shaofeng Yang ◽  
Huilin Yang ◽  
Jun Zou

The authors retrospectively studied 11 patients with delayed cervical central cord syndrome (CCS) to investigate the efficacy of the surgical intervention on treatment for delayed CCS. The American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) motor scores, Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) scores, SF-36 scores, and neurologic status were analyzed preoperatively and at each time point of postoperative follow-up. The results show that patients with reversible spinal cord injury caused by delayed central cord syndrome can recover significantly after surgical intervention. Therefore, we suggest that surgical intervention is still the ideal choice for delayed cervical central cord syndrome.


Neurosurgery ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pankaj K Singh ◽  
Sarat P Chandra ◽  
Mohit Agrawal ◽  
Dattaraj Sawarkar ◽  
Rajender Kumar ◽  
...  

Abstract BACKGROUND Vertebral hemangiomas are benign, highly vascular lesions of the vertebra, rarely seen in the pediatric age group. OBJECTIVE To analyze the long-term (&gt;3 yr) outcome of patients of pediatric vertebral hemangioma presenting with myelopathy and to describe our surgical strategy to treat such cases. METHODS All patients up to 18 yr of age with a symptomatic vertebral hemangioma treated at our hospital from May 2003 to August 2016, with at least 3-yr follow-up were included. Functional clinical outcomes were measured using American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) score. RESULTS There were 7 male and 7 female patients. All hemangiomas were located in the thoracic spine with single-level involvement. Upper thoracic spine involvement was more common (12 cases: 85.71%) than lower thoracic spine involvement (2 cases: 14.29%). All patients had features of myelopathy. The mean age was 14.57 yr, ranging from 10 to 18 yr. The mean follow-up was 62.21 mo, ranging from 36 to 90 mo. All patients had improvement in motor strength of both lower limbs postoperatively. Local pain, which was present in 1 patient, resolved, and the bladder symptoms present in 5 patients also resolved. CONCLUSION Our experience in treating symptomatic pediatric vertebral hemangiomas, along with the long-term follow-up data, suggests that good postoperative results can be achieved with minimal complications in carefully selected patients.


Neurosurgery ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 66 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua R Olexa ◽  
Bizhan Aarabi ◽  
Kathirkamanathan Shanmuganathan ◽  
Noori Akhtardanesh ◽  
Charles A Sansur ◽  
...  

Abstract INTRODUCTION In traumatic cervical spinal cord injury (SCI), the therapeutic effect of surgery and its timing as neuroprotective measures remain uncertain. Additionally, the relationship between timing of decompression, extent of decompression, imaging biomarkers evidence of injury severity, and outcome are incompletely understood. METHODS We investigated the effect of timing of decompression and long-term neurological outcome in patients with postoperatively confirmed decompression using computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies. A total of 6 mo after cervical SCI, American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) grade conversion was determined in 72 AIS grades A, B, and C patients whose postoperative CT and MRI confirmed spinal cord decompression. A total of 32 patients underwent decompressive surgery less than 12 hr from injury, 25 within 12 to 24 hr, and 15 more than 24 hr after trauma. RESULTS Age, gender, injury mechanism, intramedullary lesion length (IMLL) on MRI, admission American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) motor score, and surgical technique were not statistically different in-between groups. Motor complete patients (P = .009) and those with fracture dislocations (P = .01) tended to be operated earlier. One or more grade improvement was 55.6% in AIS grade A, 60.9% in AIS grade B, and 86.4% in AIS grade C patients. Admission AIS motor score (P = .0004) and preoperative IMLL (P = 0001) were the strongest predictors of neurological outcome. AIS grade improvement was 65.6% in patients undergoing decompressive surgery within 12 hr after trauma, 60% in patients undergoing surgery within 12 to 24 hr, and 80% when decompression was performed more than 24 hr after injury (P = .424). Multiple regression analysis of all significant and marginally significant variables revealed that the only significant variable predictive of AIS grade conversion to a better grade was IMLL (odds ratio 133.51, CI 11.68-1525.71, P < .0001). CONCLUSION In patients with postoperative CT and MRI confirmation of decompression following traumatic cervical SCI, preoperative IMLL and not the timing of surgery appears to determine long-term neurological outcome.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 106-116
Author(s):  
Zhijian Cheng ◽  
Rui Wang ◽  
Kai Cao ◽  
Guoyu Wang ◽  
Jie Qin ◽  
...  

Objective:To evaluate the long-term curative efficacy and safety of olfactory ensheathing cell (OEC) transplantation by 10 years of follow-up investigation.Methods:A follow-up observation was done on 13 patients with allograft olfactory bulb-derived OEC transplantation from September 2005 to September 2007 at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University. After cell purification, amplification, and identification, a 2 × 107/mL cell suspension was prepared for transplantation. In the posterior horn of the spinal cord 0.5 cm distal and proximal to the spinal cord injury zone, 4 needle points were selected to avoid the blood vessels. The needle depth was 3 mm, and the injection volume per point was 10 μL. Postoperatively and at 1 week, 4 weeks, 12 weeks, 24 weeks, 1 year, 3 years, 5 years, and 10 years after the surgery, the patient’s American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) score, adverse reactions, and other minor observations were assessed.Results:All the patients did not have serious complications. No gliomas or other new organisms formed during the 10-year observation period. Eight of 13 patients had improvement in sensory function, and 5 patients showed improvement in motor function. The ASIA acupuncture, light touch, and exercise scores improved significantly 1 year after the surgery, and this improvement continued until the 10-year follow-up period. Three of 13 patients had improvement in defecation and urination, and 1 patient had improved neuralgia after spinal cord injury.Conclusion:OEC transplantation is safe and effective in treating spinal cord injury. The observation period of OEC transplantation is 1 to 3 years.


VASA ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
. Bucek ◽  
Hudak ◽  
Schnürer ◽  
Ahmadi ◽  
Wolfram ◽  
...  

Background: We investigated the long-term clinical results of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) in patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) and the influence of different parameters on the primary success rate, the rate of complications and the long-term outcome. Patients and methods: We reviewed clinical and hemodynamic follow-up data of 166 consecutive patients treated with PTA in 1987 in our department. Results: PTA improved the clinical situation in 79.4% of patients with iliac lesions and in 88.3% of patients with femoro-popliteal lesions. The clinical stage and ankle brachial index (ABI) post-interventional could be improved significantly (each P < 0,001), the same results were observed at the end of follow-up (each P < 0,001). Major complications occurred in 11 patients (6.6%). The rate of primary clinical long-term success for suprainguinal lesions was 55% and 38% after 5 and 10 years (femoro-popliteal 44% and 33%), respectively, the corresponding data for secondary clinical long-term success were 63% and 56% (60% and 55%). Older age (P = 0,017) and lower ABI pre-interventional (P = 0,019) significantly deteriorated primary clinical long-term success for suprainguinal lesions, while no factor could be identified influencing the outcome of femoro-popliteal lesions significantly. Conclusion: Besides an acceptable success rate with a low rate of severe complications, our results demonstrate favourable long-term clinical results of PTA in patients with PAOD.


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