RECENT ADVANCES IN PATHOPHYSIOLOGY AND TREATMENT OF SPINAL CORD INJURY
Claire E. Hulsebosch
ADVANCES IN PHYSIOLOGY EDUCATION, 2002
Application of hypothermia, either spinally or systemically, is thought to provide protection for neural cells with increased secondary sensitivity to neural death and to reduce secondary inflammation, decreasing immediate mortality. Local spinal cord cooling within eight and a half hours of injury in ten patients produced a better-than-expected rate of recovery of sensory and motor function and reduction in mortality rate compared with more traditional forms of therapy.