Available online 5 January 2013
Publication year: 2013
Source:World Neurosurgery
Quantifying the clinical neurological impairment of individuals with traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) is of great importance in managing the population. The current gold standard is the International Standards for Neurological Classification (ISNCSCI) of SCI. Administered in isolation, this measure is not sensitive or specific enough to quantify impairment for the whole SCI population with the detail required for clinical trials and interventional studies. This review outlines a broader range of outcome measures which have the potential to assess neurological impairment and function in the traumatic SCI population. We describe recent developments in new, more sensitive outcomes traditionally used in the laboratory; and the efforts being made to validate and encourage their clinical use. However, the use of impairment measures alone will not provide clinicians with enough information regarding the individual's abilities. Thus, the use of functional outcomes such as the Spinal Cord Independence Measure, Functional Independence Measure and other functional tests alongside the neurological impairment measures, such as the ISNCSCI and the electrophysiological measures are required for adequate characterization of the deficits and abilities in the traumatic SCI population.
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