Journal of neurotrauma
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Journal of neurotrauma · Mar 2019
Diffusion Tensor Imaging Assessment of Regional White Matter Changes in the Cervical and Thoracic Spinal Cord in Pediatric Subjects.
There are no studies to date,describing changes in the diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) metrics of the white matter (WM) regions of the entire cervical and thoracic spinal cord (SC) remote from the lesion in pediatric spinal cord injury (SCI) subjects. The purpose of this study was to determine whether DTI at sites cephalad and caudal to a lesion provides measures of cord abnormalities in children with chronic SCI. A retrospective study included 10 typically developing subjects (TD) and 10 subjects with chronic SCI who underwent SC imaging in 2014-2017. ⋯ In motor tracts cephalad to the lesion, FA was significantly decreased whereas AD was significantly increased in the proximal segment; however, AD was decreased in the distal and middle segments. International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (ISNCSCI) total score was significantly correlated with FA and AD of the motor and sensory tracts cephalad to the lesion. This study demonstrates that FA and AD have the potential to be sensitive biomarkers of the full extent of cord injury and might be useful in detecting remote injuries to the SC and in guiding new treatments.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Mar 2019
Extent of Spinal Cord Decompression in Motor Complete (American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale Grades A and B) Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury Patients: Post-Operative Magnetic Resonance Imaging Analysis of Standard Operative Approaches.
Although decompressive surgery following traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) is recommended, adequate surgical decompression is rarely verified via imaging. We utilized magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to analyze the rate of spinal cord decompression after surgery. Pre-operative (within 8 h of injury) and post-operative (within 48 h of injury) MRI images of 184 motor complete patients (American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale [AIS] grade A = 119, AIS grade B = 65) were reviewed to verify spinal cord decompression. ⋯ The rates of decompression among patients who underwent laminectomy at one, two, three, four, or five levels were 58.3%, 68%, 78%, 80%, and 100%, respectively (p < 0.001). In multi-variate logistic regression analysis, only laminectomy was significantly associated with successful decompression (odds ratio 4.85; 95% confidence interval 2.2-10.6; p < 0.001). In motor complete TSCI patients, performing a laminectomy significantly increased the rate of successful spinal cord decompression, independent of whether anterior surgery was performed.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Mar 2019
Meta AnalysisEarly Surgical Decompression Improves Neurological Outcome after Complete Traumatic Cervical Spinal Cord Injury: A Meta-Analysis.
In patients with traumatic spinal cord injury (tSCI) a distinction in surgical urgency is made on the basis of the severity of the initial neurological injury. The optimal timing of surgical decompression, as well as its impact on neurological recovery, is as of yet undetermined. This study addresses neurological improvement after early and late surgery for complete and incomplete cervical tSCI. ⋯ Whereas in patients with incomplete cervical tSCI (n = 636), improvement was similar between early and late surgery (respectively 30.4%, 95% CI: 19.8-41.6% and 32.5%, 95% CI: 21.4-45.8%; OR 0.9 [95% CI: 0.4-1.9]). These data suggest a paradigm shift in the treatment of patients with complete cervical tSCI, as surgical decompression within 24 h is more frequently associated with clinically meaningful improvement. In incomplete cervical tSCI, neurological outcome is similar between early and late surgery.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Mar 2019
Clinical TrialSpinal Cord Blood Flow in Patients with Acute Spinal Cord Injuries.
The effect of traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) on spinal cord blood flow (SCBF) in humans is unknown. Whether intervention to achieve the recommended mean arterial pressure (MAP) guideline of 85-90 mm Hg improves SCBF is also unclear. Here, we use laser speckle contrast imaging intraoperatively to visualize blood flow at the injury site in 22 patients with acute, severe spinal cord injuries (American Spinal Injuries Association Impairment Scale, grades A-C). ⋯ In 7 of 19 patients with MAP 85-90 mm Hg, parts of the injury site were only perfused in systole, but not in diastole, which we term diastolic ischemia. We conclude that acute, severe TSCI produces three pathological blood flow patterns at the injury site. Intervention to increase blood pressure may elicit potentially detrimental SCBF responses in some patients.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Mar 2019
Bone Marrow-Derived Monocytes Drive the Inflammatory Microenvironment in Local and Remote Regions after Thoracic Spinal Cord Injury.
Spinal cord injury (SCI) produces a toxic inflammatory microenvironment that negatively affects plasticity and recovery. Recently, we showed glial activation and peripheral myeloid cell infiltration extending beyond the epicenter through the remote lumbar cord after thoracic SCI. The presence and role of infiltrating monocytes is important, especially in the lumbar cord where locomotor central pattern generators are housed. ⋯ Further, acute rehabilitation exacerbated the inflammatory profile of infiltrated macrophages in the lumbar cord. Such high inflammatory potential and negative response to rehabilitation of infiltrating macrophages within lumbar locomotor central pattern generators likely impedes activity-dependent recovery. Therefore, limiting active trafficking of macrophages into the lumbar cord identifies a novel target for SCI therapies to improve locomotion.