Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39471088›Full record

Trial reportNeurosurgery2025

Acute Implantation of a Bioresorbable Polymer Scaffold in Patients With Complete Thoracic Spinal Cord Injury: A Randomized Controlled Trial (INSPIRE 2.0).

James S Harrop, Kee D Kim, David O Okonkwo, Ira M Goldstein, K Stuart Lee, Richard M Toselli

2 registry-linked trialsAbstract readRandomized Controlled TrialMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Trial report in Neurosurgery, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

NCT02138110 naterminatednot on this map

The INSPIRE Study: InVivo Study of Probable Benefit of the Neuro-Spinal Scaffold(TM) for Safety and Neurologic Recovery in Subjects With Complete Thoracic AIS A Spinal Cord Injury

TypeinterventionalSponsorInVivo TherapeuticsRan2014 to 2023Enrolled20ConditionsTraumatic Thoracic Acute Spinal Cord InjuryArmsNeuro-Spinal Scaffold
NCT03762655 naterminatednot on this map

Randomized, Controlled, Single-blind Study of Probable Benefit of the Neuro-Spinal Scaffold™ for Safety and Neurologic Recovery in Subjects With Complete Thoracic AIS A Spinal Cord Injury as Compared to Standard of Care

TypeinterventionalSponsorInVivo TherapeuticsRan2019 to 2023Enrolled20ConditionsInjury, Spinal CordArmsNeuro-Spinal Scaffold
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

James S HarropDepartment of Neurological and Orthopedic Surgery, Division of Spine and Peripheral Nerve Surgery, Delaware Valley SCI Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , USA.ORCID 0000-0002-0943-3406
Kee D KimDepartment of Neurological Surgery, UC Davis, Sacramento , California , USA.ORCID 0000-0002-0788-0288
David O OkonkwoDepartment of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania , USA.
Ira M GoldsteinDepartment of Neurological Surgery, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark , New Jersey , USA.ORCID 0000-0003-2443-0315
K Stuart LeeDivision of Neurosurgery, ECU Health, Greenville , North Carolina , USA.ORCID 0000-0001-6662-0008
Richard M ToselliInVivo Therapeutics Corporation, Cambridge , Massachusetts , USA.ORCID 0000-0003-0026-4615

Funding

InVivo Therapeutics Corporation
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND

objectivesTraumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) remains a devastating condition with no proven effective treatment options available. In a prior single-arm study of patients with thoracic complete SCI (INSPIRE; ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT02138110), acute implantation of an investigational bioresorbable polymer scaffold (Neuro-Spinal Scaffold [NSS]) appeared to be safe through 24 months postimplantation and was associated with an American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) conversion rate that exceeded historical controls. Here, we evaluated whether NSS implantation demonstrates probable benefit for safety and neurological recovery in patients with thoracic complete SCI vs standard-of-care spine surgery.

methodsINSPIRE 2.0 was a randomized, controlled, parallel, multicenter study conducted at Level I trauma centers in the United States ( ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT03762655; funded by InVivo Therapeutics Corporation). Patients with AIS grade A, thoracic (T2-T12), nonpenetrating SCI requiring spine surgery ≤7 days postinjury were randomized (1:1, computer-generated allocation) to undergo NSS implantation or spine surgery alone (control group). Patients and follow-up International Standards for Neurological Classification of SCI assessors were blinded. A predefined study success criterion required the proportion of patients with improvement of ≥1 AIS grade at 6 months postsurgery (primary endpoint) to be ≥20% higher in the NSS group than in the control group.

resultsTarget enrollment was reached (N = 20) with 10 patients randomized and analyzed in each group. At 6 months postsurgery, an improvement in the AIS grade was reported in 2 NSS patients (20%; both to AIS C) and 3 control group patients (30%; to AIS B [n = 2] or AIS C [n = 1]). No serious or unanticipated adverse device effects were reported. The study was closed to further follow-up because of not meeting its primary endpoint.

conclusionIn this small group of patients with thoracic complete (AIS A) SCI, implantation of an intraparenchymal bioresorbable scaffold did not produce probable clinical benefit. However, this study provides evidence that surgical intervention in an injured spinal cord parenchyma may be performed safely.

Indexed as

Absorbable ImplantsPolymersSpinal Cord InjuriesThoracic VertebraeTissue ScaffoldsAdultAgedFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedTreatment OutcomeYoung AdultPolymers

Identifiers

PMID39471088
PMCPMC11882278

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.