Characterizing Natural Recovery of People With Initial Motor Complete Tetraplegia

Objective: To determine the differences in neurologic recovery in persons with initial cervical American Spinal Cord Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) grades A and B over time.Design: Retrospective analysis of data from people with traumatic cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) enrolled in the National Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems (SCIMS) database from 2011-2019.Setting: SCIMS centers.Participants: Individuals (N=187) with traumatic cervical (C1-C7 motor level) SCI admitted with initial AIS grade A and B injuries within 30 days of injury, age 16 years or older, upper extremity motor score (UEMS) <20 on both sides, and complete neurologic data at admission and follow-up between 6 months and 2 years.Main Outcome Measures: Conversion in AIS grades, UEMS and lower extremity motor scores (LEMS), and sensory scores.Results: Mean time to initial and follow-up examinations were 16.1 +/- 7.3 days and 377.5 +/- 93.4 days, respectively. Conversion from an initial cervical AIS grades A and B to motor incomplete status was 13.4% and 50.0%, respectively. The mean UEMS change for people with initial AIS grades A and B did not differ (7.8 +/- 6.5 and 8.8 +/- 6.1; P=.307), but people with AIS grade B experienced significantly higher means of LEMS change (2.3 +/- 7.4 and 8.8 +/- 13.9 (P<.001). The increased rate of conversion to motor incomplete status from initial AIS grade B appears to be the primary driving factor of increased overall motor recovery. Individuals with initial AIS grade B had greater improvement in sensory scores.Conclusions: While UEMS recovery is similar in persons with initial AIS grades A and B, the rate of conversion to motor incomplete status, LEMS, and sensory recovery are significantly different. This information is important for clinical as well as research considerations. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 2022;103:649-56 (c) 2021 Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of The American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine.

Automated summary

The study aimed to determine the differences in neurologic recovery between AIS grade A and B in patients with initial cervical spinal cord injuries. The findings showed that although both groups had similar upper extremity motor score recovery, the rate of conversion to motor incomplete status, lower extremity motor score, and sensory recovery were significantly different for patients with AIS grade B.