Article

In our clinical training program, which includes probable American
Spinal Injury Association impairment scale (AIS) grade changes in the event of
recovery, we have noticed some confounding results regarding the AIS grading in
spinal cord injury (SCI) patient case examples who are expected to recover. We
also observed an individual case that showed a conflict between AIS grade
conversion and neurological changes in European Multicenter Study on Human Spinal
Cord Injury study. STUDY DESIGN: The analysis of SCI case examples for the
probable AIS grade changes in the event of recovery. OBJECTIVES: To demonstrate
the possible problems with AIS classification in SCI cases involving presumed
motor and sensory changes, and to clarify the possible causes of the inverse
relationship between the motor/sensory changes and AIS conversion in certain
conditions. SETTING: Ankara, Turkey. METHODS: We studied the case examples of
reference from the 2011 revision of International Standards for the Neurological
Classification of Spinal Cord Injury. RESULTS: We encountered the same unique
problem of deteriorating AIS grades within the critical zones of conversion when
presumed neurological improvement took place, and vice versa. CONCLUSION: When
recovery occurs without observing any motor or sensory changes while taking only the AIS into account, it would be possible to make an incorrect conclusion. This is most likely an indication of a limitation of the AIS. To enlighten this
paradox, the large amount of data in SCI databases should be reanalyzed.
- Echelle

Langue : ANGLAIS