Heterotopic ossification in patients with traumatic medullar injury: association with HLA-system antigens

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify the prevalence of the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I and II on the spinal cord injury (SCI) patients and its relation with heterotopic ossification (HO). Fifty-four patients were studied (47 men and 7 women) with an average age of 33,5 ± 12,5 years (range 18 to 59 years) with SCI. Forty-four patients (81,5%) had complete and 10 had incomplete lesions. Twenty-three patients (42,6%) were tetraplegics, 31(57,4%) were paraplegics, 28 had thoracic injury and 3 had lumbar lesion. The tests used in the diagnosis of HO were bone scintigraphy, anteroposterior radiography of hip and knee in the paraplegics and also the shoulders in the tetraplegics. Computerized tomography was used when the others tests were unconcluded. The patients were divided in two groups: 28 patients with HO (52%) and 26 without HO (48%). The typing of HLA antigens class I and II was done in all patients. The results of the distribution of frequency of HLA antigens were assessed on both groups and it was not shown any difference with statistic significance. It was conclude that there was no association between HLA antigens class I and II with the OH development.