Abstract
Objective: To investigate the timing of surgical decompression for acute traumatic cervical spinal cord injury. Methods: A total of 295 cases were extracted and assigned into 3 groups on the basis of the timing of surgery: the urgent group (within 8 h), the early group (8 to 48 h), and the delayed group (after 48 h). Neurological outcomes and medical complications before the operation, after the operation, at 6 months, and at 1 year were compared. Results: Patients in the urgent group derived immediate neurological benefits after surgery, whereas patients in the early group recovered gradually. The final neurological outcomes of both groups were the same. No neurological improvement was observed in the delayed group. The same morbidities of medical complications were observed after the operation. However, complications were seen less commonly in the urgent and the early groups than in the delayed group after 6 months and 1 year. Conclusions: Urgent and early surgical decompression can improve neurological outcomes and lower morbidities of complications, the former being more effective.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
