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Evaluation of acute surgical intervention in traumatic paraplegia

Spinal Cord volume 24, pages 71–76 (1986)Cite this article

Abstract

A retrospective study was conducted over a two-year perod of 95 consecutive admissions for traumatic paraplegia. The average age was 32 years. Seventy-two (76%) of these patients had acute surgical intervention. Fifty had Harrington rod placement with posterior fusion, 10 had additional laminectomy and one had rodding and anterior fusion. Seven laminectomies (alone) were performed at other hospitals.

For those with rodding and/or fusion, rehabilitation stay was 70 days; for those with no surgery, 81 days. This difference was not statistically significant. However, when days of acute medical/surgical and rehabilitation hospitalization were combined, those having spinal surgery of any kind had a significantly shorter stay than those not having surgery (95 vs. 136 days). Complications were significantly greater in the patients who underwent internal fixation surgery. The neurological condition did not appear to be jeopardized by rodding and fusion.

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References

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Author information

Affiliations

  1. Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Chairman, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center;, 751 So. Bascom Avenue, San Jose, 95128, California, U.S.A.

    Conal B Wilmot

  2. Director Co-Director, Northern California Regional Spinal Injury System, Institute for Medical Research, 2260 Clove Drive, San Jose, 95128, California, U.S.A.

    Karyl M Hall

Authors
  1. Conal B Wilmot
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  2. Karyl M Hall
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Cite this article

Wilmot, C., Hall, K. Evaluation of acute surgical intervention in traumatic paraplegia. Spinal Cord 24, 71–76 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1038/sc.1986.10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sc.1986.10

Keywords

  • Paraplegia
  • Spinal Surgery
  • Outcome
  • Medical Complications
  • Cost

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