Prognosis for Patients With Traumatic Cervical Spinal Cord Injury Combined With Cervical Radiculopathy

This study investigates the impact of cervical radiculopathy, a nerve root disorder, on patients who have also experienced a traumatic cervical spinal cord injury (SCI). The goal was to determine if the presence of radiculopathy affects the recovery and functional outcomes of these SCI patients. The research involved assessing patients with cervical SCI for both neurological and functional abilities upon admission to a rehabilitation unit and again at discharge. Patients were divided into two groups: those with cervical radiculopathy in addition to SCI, and those with SCI alone, based on electrophysiological assessments. The findings indicate that cervical radiculopathy is relatively common in individuals with traumatic cervical SCI and can hinder neurological and functional improvement. This suggests that identifying combined cervical radiculopathy through electrophysiological testing is crucial for accurately predicting the prognosis of cervical SCI patients in rehabilitation.

• 1
  Almost half (48.5%) of the cervical SCI patients also had cervical radiculopathy.
• 2
  Patients with both SCI and radiculopathy showed less improvement in motor function, as well as functional abilities (K-MBI and FIM scores) at discharge, compared to those with SCI alone.
• 3
  In the SCI/Rad group, a higher number of involved nerve root levels correlated with lower initial and follow-up motor scores.