Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41507290›Full record

ArticleSpinal cord2026

Effect of methylprednisolone in cervical spinal cord injury stratified by injury severity: analysis in 908 patients.

Tetsuhiko Mimura, Ali Moghaddamjou, Jetan H Badhiwala, Alexander R Vaccaro, Christopher I Shaffrey, James S Harrop, James D Guest, Bizhan Aarabi, Michael G Fehlings

Abstract readMulticenter Study
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Spinal cord, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the 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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  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

9 authors.

Tetsuhiko MimuraDivision of Genetics and Development, Krembil Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Ali MoghaddamjouDivision of Neurosurgery and Spine Program, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Jetan H BadhiwalaDivision of Neurosurgery and Spine Program, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Alexander R VaccaroDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Rothman Orthopedic Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Christopher I ShaffreyDepartment of Neurosurgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
James S HarropDepartment of Neurological Surgery, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-0943-3406
James D GuestDepartment of Neurosurgery and The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, The Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-0931-0286
Bizhan AarabiDepartment of Neurosurgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-8071-457X
Michael G FehlingsDivision of Genetics and Development, Krembil Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada. michael.fehlings@uhn.ca.ORCID 0000-0002-5722-6364

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

STUDY

designCohort study.

objectivesAlthough the effectiveness of methylprednisolone sodium succinate (MPSS) in spinal cord injury (SCI) is controversial, it is hypothesized that the effectiveness and safety profile of MPSS may vary in select cervical SCI sub-populations. The objective of this study is to clarify the effect of MPSS and its impact on adverse events in patients with cervical SCI, stratified by baseline neurological status.

settingThree large prospective, multicenter data sets of patients with acute SCI.

methodsPatients with acute cervical SCI were enrolled. The primary outcomes were upper extremity motor scores (UEMS) and lower extremity motor scores (LEMS) at 1 year. Patients were grouped by baseline American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) grade.

results908 patients meeting inclusion criteria were analyzed. In AIS grade A patients, the use of MPSS resulted in significantly improved LEMS (mean difference [MD], 3.0; 95% CI, 0.3-5.6; p = 0.02), but not UEMS (MD, 0.5; 95% CI, -2.5-3.5; p = 0.74), at 1 year. In contrast, no significant benefit was observed in patients with AIS grades B, C, or D. In AIS grade A patients, the MPSS group had a lower incidence of cardiopulmonary adverse events (42.5 vs. 62.8%; p < 0.001) and gastrointestinal/genitourinary adverse events (13.7 vs. 22.4%; p = 0.04).

conclusionsMPSS was associated with improved lower extremity motor recovery in AIS grade A cervical SCI patients. No significant effect was seen in patients with incomplete injuries. MPSS was not associated with an overall increase in adverse events, suggesting it may be selectively beneficial in severe cervical SCI.

Indexed as

Cervical CordMethylprednisoloneNeuroprotective AgentsSpinal Cord InjuriesAdultAgedCervical VertebraeCohort StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedProspective StudiesSeverity of Illness IndexTreatment OutcomeMethylprednisoloneNeuroprotective Agents

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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.