Fumio FUKUDA, Takayoshi UETA

Department of Rehabilitation, Spinal Injuries Center

(Received 29 June 2000; accepted 21 November 2000)

Abstract: Various evaluation methods for spinal cord injury have been reported. However, the best evaluation method for predicting the prognosis remains controversial. We investigated patients with spinal cord injury using our original evaluation methods between 1990 and 1998. In this study we used two methods for evaluation; one is modified Frankel classification for evaluating the transverse lesion, and the other is the evaluation of the level of lesion of the spinal cord. We studied patients who had been admitted to our center within 7 days of their acute spinal cord injury. The total number of the patients was 294, and they were re-evaluated 6 months after their admission. Our modified Frankel classification showed, 5 of 149 patients (3%) with grade A at admission improved to grades D or E after 6 months. The patients who improved from grades B1, B2, and B3 to higher than grade D were one of 5 patients (20%), 7 of 22 patients (32%), and 8 of 10 patients (80%). The grade B3 group significantly improved more than the grade B1 and B2 groups. Additionally, the patients who improved from grades C1 and C2 to higher than grade D were 20 of 33 patients (61%) and 33 of 34 patients (97%). The grade C2 group significantly improved more than the grade C1 group. Our modified Frankel classification was useful to predict the neurological improvement in acute spinal cord injured patients 6 months after their accident.

Key words: cervical cord injury, neurological prognosis, evaluation method, modified Frankel classification