The case for surgery of the injured spine in the management of traumatic cord injuries.

Publication/Presentation Date

1-1-2018

Abstract

Spinal cord injury can be a life-altering trauma for patients and can be costly to patients and society alike. Generally recognized as biphasic, these injuries have both primary and secondary drivers. Although the primary insult is largely unavoidable, prevention of secondary injury mechanisms-and the resultant cascade-has been a target of substantial research. Continued spinal cord compression has been recognized as one of several deleterious secondary mechanisms, and decompressive and stabilization surgery has been routinely used for neuroprotection in this setting. Numerous biomechanical and animal studies have confirmed its potential utility. More recently, several high-quality randomized trials have concluded that early surgery for spinal cord injury improves rates of recovery when compared with delayed or nonoperative management. Herein, we argue that early surgery for spinal cord injury with continued cord compression offers significant benefit and should be undertaken when not contraindicated.

Volume

4

First Page

15

Last Page

15

ISSN

2058-6124

Disciplines

Business Administration, Management, and Operations | Health and Medical Administration | Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods

PubMedID

29479484

Department(s)

Administration and Leadership

Document Type

Article

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