Local cooling for traumatic spinal cord injury: outcomes in 20 patients and review of the literature
R. R. Hansebout, C. R. Hansebout
J Neurosurg, 2014
Localized deep cord cooling was given to 20 patients with a neurologically complete spinal cord injury to begin within 8 hours of injury. Sensation and motor function were evaluated directly after the injury and again over a year later using the 2011 amendment American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale. Eighty percent of the 20 patients (12 with cervical and 4 thoracic injuries) with an initial neurologically complete cord injury had some recovery of sensory or motor function. All patients initially had ASIA Grade A impairment. All considered, of 20 patients, 35% remained ASIA Grade A, 30% improved to ASIA Grade B, 25% to ASIA Grade C, and 10% to ASIA Grade D. The mean improvement in neurological level of injury in all patients was 1.05, the mean improvement in motor level was 1.7, and the mean improvement in sensory level was 2.8. These patients experienced a better recovery than might have been expected had traditional forms of treatment been used.