Neurological outcome in road traffic accidents with spinal cord injury.

The aim of the study was to investigate neurological outcome in road traffic accidents (RTA) with spinal cord injury (SCI). The study was undertaken in National Spinal Unit of Special Medical Rehabilitation Hospital, in Varazdinske Toplice, Croatia. Hospital records of 154 inpatient RTA SCI patients, in years 1991-2001 were reviewed. Six groups of patients were formed: car drivers, co-drivers, back seat passengers, motorcycle drivers, bicycle drivers and pedestrians. Neurological assessments at admission to rehabilitation and before discharge were done according to American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) impairment scale. Methods of descriptive statistics were used. Overall 49% of RTA SCI patients presented with complete injury (ASIA A) at admission to rehabilitation, 93% of initially complete spinal cord injured patients remained complete at discharge and 72% previously non-ambulatory incomplete (ASIA B-E) patients achieved ambulation. Complete injury was acquired more often in motorcycle drivers and car drivers group (67% and 54%, respectively). Road traffic spinal cord injuries are, and will remain the leading cause of traumatic SCI, with high proportion of complete injury at rehabilitation onset, especially in motorcycle drivers and car drivers groups.