The diagnosis and treatment of acute spinal cord injury

In Germany, the incidence of traumatic spinal cord injury is approximately 16 per million inhabitants per year. This article aims to present evidence-based diagnostic and therapeutic measures for the first 14 days after injury to minimize neural damage, prevent complications, and preserve functioning as much as possible. After the formulation of key questions, systematic literature searches were carried out on multiple topics. The findings were evaluated for methodological quality, and recommendations were agreed upon by consensus. Spinal cord injury may be due to traumatic (e.g., a fall) or non-traumatic causes (e.g., ischemia). The evidence presented here on the diagnosis and treatment of spinal cord injury is mainly based on observational studies. 15 evidence-based and 43 consensus-based recommendations were formulated. The patients' neurological course should be monitored by clinical neurological examination according to the International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (strength of recommendation [SOR]: strong). If traumatic spinal cord injury is suspected, the patient should be transported as rapidly as possible to a tertiary-care trauma center (SOR: strong). Spine decompression surgery should be performed within 24 hours (SOR: weak). Corticosteroids should not be given in the acute phase of traumatic spinal cord injury (SOR: strong) but are indicated if the spinal cord is compressed by a tumor (SOR: strong). The mean arterial pressure should be between 70 and 90 mmHg for the first 2-3 (maximum 7) days (SOR: weak). Pharmacotherapy with heparin should be started early to prevent thromboembolism, with due attention to the risk of hemorrhagic complications (SOR: strong). This (S3 level) clinical practice guideline aims to standardize clinical care. Early interdisciplinary management is essential to protect at-risk neural tissue and to prevent complications, and constitutes a key prerequisite for long term neurological and functional recovery. No neuroprotective or neuroregenerative treatments are available to date.