Abstract
Every year, approximately 55,000 patients suffering from spinal trauma require hospital care in Germany. About 20% of these patients have symptoms of a spinal cord injury. It is important to know that vertebral column injury may be associated with spinal cord injury or not and that spinal cord injury may even occur without a lesion of the vertebral column. Pain and malposture are signs of vertebral column injury while a spinal cord lesion causes neuro-deficits, usually presenting as complete or incomplete transverse cord lesion. First aid calls for stabilization of blood pressure and pulmonary function. Additional damage to the cord should be avoided by immobilization. The application of steroids (methyl-prednisolone) is recommended according to the presently available evidence. The patient should be transferred to a center, in which all diagnostic and therapeutic facilities required for the management of spinal trauma are available. Currently, there are no evidence-based data favoring any treatment option. The outcome seems to be independent of surgical or non-surgical management. However, the advantage of surgical treatment is the early mobilization of the patient due to the immediate stabilization and a reduction of late complications.
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