engleski

Neurological Outcome in Road Traffic Accidents with Spinal Cord Injury

The aim of the study was to investigate neurological outcome in road traffic accidents (RTA) with spinal cord injury(SCI). The study was undertaken in National Spinal Unit of Special Medical Rehabilitation Hospital, in Vara`dinskeToplice, Croatia. Hospital records of 154 inpatient RTA SCI patients, in years 1991– 2001 were reviewed. Six groups ofpatients were formed: car drivers, co-drivers, back seat passengers, motorcycle drivers, bicycle drivers and pedestrians.Neurological assessments at admission to rehabilitation and before discharge were done according to American SpinalInjury Association (ASIA) impairment scale. Methods of descriptive statistics were used. Overall 49% of RTA SCI pa-tients presented with complete injury (ASIA A) at admission to rehabilitation, 93% of initially complete spinal cord in-jured patients remained complete at discharge and 72% previously non-ambulatory incomplete (ASIA B-E) patientsachieved ambulation. Complete injury was acquired more often in motorcycle drivers and car drivers group (67% and54%, respectively). Road traffic spinal cord injuries are, and will remain the leading cause of traumatic SCI, with highproportion of complete injury at rehabilitation onset, especially in motorcycle drivers and car drivers groups.

road traffic accident ; spinal cord injury ; neurological outcome

Afilijacija 2: Spinal Unit, Special Medical Rehabilitation Hospital, Varazdinske Toplice, Croatia