Neuroprotection and Regeneration in Acute Spinal Cord Injury: Laboratory and Clinical Research - Education

The regeneration of spinal cord after injury was not possible a few years ago. Although a definite cure has not been found yet, the results of cellular, animal and recent human studies are quite favorable. It seems possible that an effective treatment modality for acute spinal cord injury (SCI) will be obtained in the near future from at least one of the studies, some of which are completed and some are still preclinical. Furthermore, the outcomes of many preclinical studies will have clinical implications - a clear reason for researchers, clinicians, and patients to be optimistic. In this review, we discuss the recent pharmacologic, cellular and surgical therapies in acute SCI. Turk J Phys Med Rehab 2010; 56 Suppl 2: 81-8