Trial reportSpinal cord2021
The effect of combination therapy with erythropoietin and methylprednisolone in patients with traumatic cervical spinal cord injury: a pilot randomized controlled trial.
Trial report in Spinal cord, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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
8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 16 citations in OpenAlex.
- An updated systematic review of neuroprotective agents in the treatment of spinal cord injury.Neurosurgical review · 2024Pooled it
- An inflammation-targeted lipid nanoparticle inhibiting ferroptosis for spinal cord injury repair.Materials today. Bio · 2026Article
- Large Language Models' Responses to Spinal Cord Injury: A Comparative Study of Performance.Journal of medical systems · 2025Article
- High-dose preoperative intraperitoneal erythropoietin and intravenous methylprednisolone in acute traumatic spinal cord injuries following decompression surgeries.Open medicine (Warsaw, Poland) · 2025Article
- Hormonal regulatory networks in spinal cord injury: mechanistic insights, crosstalk, and therapeutic innovations.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2025Review
- Current and emergent therapies targeting spinal cord injury.Brain & spine · 2025Review
- Advancements in neuroregenerative and neuroprotective therapies for traumatic spinal cord injury.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2024Review
- Injury to Time of Marked Recovery as a New Acute Spinal Cord Injury Outcome Measurement for Statistical Analysis of Interventions and Drug Treatments.Neurotrauma reportsArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
STUDY
designPilot double-blinded randomized controlled trial.
objectivesTo investigate the additive effect of recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) on functional outcome and disability in patients with traumatic cervical spinal cord injury (TCSCI). SETTINGS: University-affiliated hospital in Mashhad, Iran.
methodsPatients with acute TCSCI admitted within 8 h after injury were randomly assigned to receive only methylprednisolone (M group) or rhEPO 500 IU/mL plus methylprednisolone (M + E group). All the patients underwent surgery within the next several days. Neurological function was assessed on admission, and at 6th and 12th months after the injury according to the sphincter function and American spinal cord injury association (ASIA) scale.
resultsOverall, 54 patients (mean age: 39.7 ± 13.3 years) including 46 (85%) males were studied in two groups of 27. The likelihood of developing adverse neurological outcomes (ASIA impairment score of A compared to D or E) was not significantly different between the groups after 6 (OR = 0.39, 95% CI = 0.03-4.80, P = 0.46) and 12 months (OR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.11-6.11, P = 0.86). The groups also showed no significant difference in 1-year mortality (OR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.25-2.74, P = 0.76).
conclusionsIt is not clear whether combination therapy with erythropoietin compared to methylprednisolone alone improves neurological functions of patients with TCSCI. Our study provides interim data to guide future larger definitive trials.
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