Observational studySpinal cord2020
The use of classification and regression tree analysis to identify the optimal surgical timing for improving neurological outcomes following motor-complete thoracolumbar traumatic spinal cord injury.
Observational study in Spinal cord, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- The application of artificial intelligence in the acute and sub-acute phases of spinal cord injury- a systematic review.Spinal cord · 2026Pooled it
- Association between surgical timing and neurological recovery after traumatic spinal cord injury.European journal of medical research · 2025Pooled it
- Is time really spine? Early versus delayed surgical decompression in traumatic spinal cord injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2026Review
- XGBoost, a Machine Learning Method, Predicts Neurological Recovery in Patients with Cervical Spinal Cord Injury.Neurotrauma reports · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
STUDY
designObservational cohort study.
objectivesTo identify the optimal surgical timing for improving neurological outcomes in patients that sustained a motor-complete traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) secondary to a thoracolumbar injury.
settingLevel 1 trauma center specialized in TSCI care.
methodsWe prospectively analyzed clinical data of 35 patients admitted for motor-complete TSCI secondary to a thoracolumbar injury. We quantified neurological recovery with three different outcomes: the improvement of at least one grade on the American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS), of at least one neurological level of injury (NLI), and of at least 10-points on the motor score (MS). Classification and regression tree analysis was used to identify outcome predictors and to provide cutoff values of surgical timing associated with recovery.
resultsThe proportion of the patients improving by at least one AIS grade was higher in the group undergoing early surgery within 25.7 h of the TSCI (46% vs 0%). The proportion of patients that improved by at least one NLI was also higher in the group undergoing early surgery within 21.5 h of the TSCI (71% vs 18%). Lastly, 25% of the AIS grade A patients undergoing early surgery within 25.6 h of the TSCI improved 10 MS points or more as compared with 0% in the other group.
conclusionsEarlier surgery was effective in improving neurological outcome in motor-complete TSCI at the thoracolumbar levels. Performing surgery within 21.5 h from the traumatic event in these patients increases the likelihood of improving the neurological recovery. SPONSORSHIP: This study was supported by the Fonds de Recherche du Québec-Santé (FRQS), Department of the Army-United States Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, Rick Hansen Spinal Cord Injury Registry and Medtronic research chair in spinal trauma at Université de Montréal.
Indexed as
Identifiers
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.