INTRODUCTION: Patients with spinal cord injuries comprise a major percentage of the total number of trauma patients who suffer with high mortality and long-term morbidity. The majority of these patients are of young age, resulting in a disproportionately high loss of productive years of life both individually and for society1. One third of these patients have injuries that involve the cervical spine1.
The management of spinal cord injury remains controversial3, 6,88as does the optimal timing of surgical intervention6. Recent laboratory and clinical trials indicate that early surgical intervention may be associated with improved results2, 7,8,9,10,11,12 though previous studies have reported an increased risk of neurological deterioration with early surgical intervention3, 4,5. EPIDEMIOLOGY Estimates of number of patients living with spinal cord injuries in the U.S.A.range from 18500 to…
