Neural Regeneration Research ›› 2014, Vol. 9 ›› Issue (5): 456-457.doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.130053

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Ligaments disruption: a new perspective in the prognosis of spinal cord injury

Rafael Martinez-Perez 1, 2, Luis Jimenez-Roldan 1, 2, Alfonso Lagares 1, 2   

  1. 1 Department of Neurosurgery of Hospital 12 de Octubre, Madrid, Spain
    2 Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Faculty of Medicine, Madrid, Spain
  • Received:2014-03-02 Online:2014-03-12 Published:2014-03-12
  • Contact: Rafael Martínez-Pérez, M.D., Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital 12 de Octubre, Crta de Andalucía Km 5.4, Madrid 28041, Spain, rafa11safin@hotmail.com.

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Abstract:

Worldwide prevalence of Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) is ranging from 233 to 755 per million inhabitants, whereas reported incidence lies between 10.4 and 83 per million inhabitants per year. Thus, the socioeconomic impact of SCI associated with cervical trauma is high enough to be encountered within one of the most important worries in vast majority of developed countries.
The ability to predict recovery following SCI is of paramount importance to the physician’s role in providing the best care and guidance to patients and families during the illness. Diagnosis of cervical spine injury is an essential aspect of the trauma evaluation. This task is especially difficult in patients whose clinical examination is not reliable due to distracting painful injuries, intoxication, or concomitant head injury. For this population the use of radiological imaging is essential.