Serum Biomarkers and Clinical Outcomes in Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury: Prospective Cohort Study

Trends in Rates of ASIA Impairment Scale Conversion in Traumatic Complete Spinal Cord Injury

“…Biomarkers derived from advanced magnetic resonance imaging techniques, neurophysiological assessments, and cerebral spinal fluid or serum may help to identify subjects with similar potential for improvement, but further research in this area is needed. [29][30][31][32][33] Although the largest increase in conversions observed in this study were to sensory incomplete (AIS-B), it is promising to see conversions to motor incomplete nearly triple from 5.8% in 1995-1997 to 16.4% in 2013-2015. This change was even more pronounced in persons with tetraplegia, increasing from 9.4% to 28.1% in those time periods.…”

Biomarkers in Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury—Technical and Clinical Considerations: A Systematic Review

“…In contrast to these findings, another study found increased serum concentrations of IL-6 only within 48 hours but not after 7 days postinjury. 33 Statistically significant lower IL-6 CSF concentrations have been observed 24 hours postinjury in patients who showed neurological remission and a conversion from complete lesions to incomplete lesions correlated negatively with IL-6 concentrations. 28,30 Kwon et al 29 observed severity-dependent concentrations of IL-6 within the first 72 hours after injury with higher concentrations in CSF and serum in more severely injured patients.…”

“…The protein is primarily produced at sites of inflammation and was assessed in 5 studies. 28-30,32,33 Davies et al 32 found significantly higher serum concentrations of IL-6 in patients with SCI in the sub-acute injury-phase (2-52 weeks postinjury) compared with healthy controls. In contrast to these findings, another study found increased serum concentrations of IL-6 only within 48 hours but not after 7 days postinjury.…”

“…Levels of NSE were measured in 5 studies. 22,24,31,33,34 Ahadi et al 34 found significantly higher serum concentrations of NSE at 24 and 48 hours after injury in patients with SCI compared to patients with vertebral fractures and no SCI. NSE concentrations decreased after 24 hours postinjury.…”

“…In contrast to these findings, another study found increased serum concentrations of IL-6 only within 48 hours but not after 7 days postinjury. 33…”