Spine
2001 Dec 15;26(24 Suppl):S2-12
Epidemiology,
demographics, and pathophysiology of acute spinal
cord injury.
Sekhon
LH, Fehlings MG.
Department
of Neurosurgery, Royal North Shore Hospital,
University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales,
Australia.
Spinal cord injury occurs through various
countries throughout the world with an annual
incidence of 15 to 40 cases per million, with the
causes of these injuries ranging from motor
vehicle accidents and community violence to
recreational activities and workplace-related
injuries. Survival has improved along with a
greater appreciation of patterns of presentation,
survival, and complications. Despite much work
having been done, the only treatment to date known
to ameliorate neurologic dysfunction that occurs
at or below the level of neurologic injury has
been intravenous methylprednisolone therapy. Much
research over the past 30 to 40 years has focused
on elucidating the mechanisms of spinal cord
injury, with the complex pathophysiologic
processes slowly being unraveled. With a greater
understanding of both primary and secondary
mechanisms of injury, the roles of calcium, free
radicals, sodium, excitatory amino acids, vascular
mediators, and apoptosis have been elucidated.
This review examines the epidemiology,
demographics, and pathophysiology of acute spinal
cord injury.
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