Traumatic cervical spinal cord injury in southeastern Norway: acute treatment, specialized rehabilitation referral and mortality.

Background: Traumatic cervical spinal cord injury (cSCI) is a serious condition that requires a multidisciplinary treatment approach involving care at a neurotrauma center (NTC) and specialized rehabilitation. Contemporary population-based studies of cSCI are important for ensuring the quality and planning of health care approaches for these patients.

Methods: This is a population-based cohort study of patients with traumatic cSCI who were admitted to the NTC in Southeast Norway between 2015 and 2022.

Time from injury to acute surgery for patients with traumatic cervical spinal cord injury in South-East Norway.

Background: The recommended treatment for cervical spinal cord injury (cSCI) is surgical decompression and stabilization within 24 h after injury. The aims of the study were to estimate our institutional compliance with this recommendation and identify potential factors associated with surgical delay.

Methods: Population-based retrospective database study of patients operated for cSCI in 2015-2022 within the South-East Norway Health Region (3.

From wires to waves, a novel sensor system for in vivo pressure monitoring.

Pressure monitoring in various organs of the body is essential for appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. In almost all situations, monitoring is performed in a hospital setting. Technological advances not only promise to improve clinical pressure monitoring systems, but also engage toward the development of fully implantable systems in ambulatory patients.

Long-term post-concussion symptoms.

Concussion is common and usually resolves without complications. However, persistent symptoms occur in 10-15 % of patients. These post-concussion symptoms are predominantly somatic, cognitive and emotional.

Epidemiology of traumatic cervical spinal fractures in a general Norwegian population.

Background: In Western countries, the typical cervical spine fracture (CS-Fx) patient has historically been a young male injured in a road traffic accident. Recent reports and daily clinical practice clearly indicate a change in the typical patient from a young male to an elderly male or female with comorbidities. This study aimed to establish contemporary population-based epidemiological data of traumatic CS-Fx for use in health-care planning and injury prevention.

An open prospective study on the efficacy of Navina Smart, an electronic system for transanal irrigation, in neurogenic bowel dysfunction.

Background: Transanal irrigation (TAI) has emerged as a key option when more conservative bowel management does not help spinal cord injured (SCI) individuals with neurogenic bowel dysfunction (NBD).

Aim: To investigate the short-term efficacy and safety of an electronic TAI system (Navina Smart) in subjects with NBD.

Design: We present an open, prospective efficacy study on Navina Smart, in individuals with NBD secondary to SCI, studied at three months.

A man in his sixties with acute back pain and increasing weakness in his lower limbs.

Background: European and Norwegian consensus-based guidelines for the management of acute low back pain endorse red flag screening. Red flag symptomatology may ignore important information in the case history and clinical findings.

Case Presentation: An active man in his sixties presented with acute low back pain with radiation to the left thigh.

Quality of life and psychological outcomes of body-weight supported locomotor training in spinal cord injured persons with long-standing incomplete lesions.

Study Design: Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) data from two parallel independent single-blinded controlled randomized studies of manual (Study 1) and robotic (Study 2) locomotor training were combined (ClinicalTrials.gov #NCT00854555).

Objective: To assess effects of body-weight supported locomotor training (BWSLT) programs on HRQOL in persons with long-standing motor incomplete spinal cord injury and poor walking function.

A quality indicator set for use in rehabilitation team care of people with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases; development and pilot testing.

Background: Systems for monitoring effectiveness and quality of rehabilitation services across health care levels are needed. The purpose of this study was to develop and pilot test a quality indicator set for rehabilitation of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases.

Methods: The set was developed according to the Rand/UCLA Appropriateness Method, which integrates evidence review, in-person multidisciplinary expert panel meetings and repeated anonymous ratings for consensus building.

Robot-assisted locomotor training did not improve walking function in patients with chronic incomplete spinal cord injury: A randomized clinical trial.

Objective: To assess the effects of robot-assisted locomotor training in patients with chronic incomplete spinal cord injury.

Design: Randomized single-blind controlled clinical trial.

Setting: The intervention site was an outpatient clinic, and pre- and post-evaluations were performed in a rehabilitation hospital.

Manually assisted body-weight supported locomotor training does not re-establish walking in non-walking subjects with chronic incomplete spinal cord injury: A randomized clinical trial.

Objective: To assess the effects of manually assisted body-weight supported locomotor training in subjects with chronic incomplete spinal cord injury.

Design: Randomized controlled clinical trial.

Subjects: Twenty subjects with American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale grades C or D and > 2 years post-injury.

Exoskeleton gait training after spinal cord injury: An exploratory study on secondary health conditions.

Objective: To explore changes in pain, spasticity, range of motion, activities of daily living, bowel and lower urinary tract function and quality of life of individuals with spinal cord injury following robotic exoskeleton gait training.

Design: Prospective, observational, open-label multicentre study.

Methods: Three training sessions per week for 8 weeks using an Ekso™ GT robotic exoskeleton (EKSO Bionics).

Measurement of Urinary Bladder Pressure: A Comparison of Methods.

Pressure is an essential parameter for the normal function of almost all organs in the human body. Measurement of pressure is therefore highly important in clinical practice and medical research. In clinical practice, pressures are often measured indirectly through a fluid line where the pressure is transmitted from the organ of interest to a remote, externally localized transducer.

Gait training after spinal cord injury: safety, feasibility and gait function following 8 weeks of training with the exoskeletons from Ekso Bionics.

Study Design: Prospective quasi-experimental study, pre- and post-design.

Objectives: Assess safety, feasibility, training characteristics and changes in gait function for persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) using the robotic exoskeletons from Ekso Bionics.

Setting: Nine European rehabilitation centres.

An in vivo MEMS sensor system for percutaneous measurement of urinary bladder.

An in vivo sensor system for direct measurement of pressure in the human urinary bladder is developed. The core component in the system is a small-sized and highly sensitive piezoresistive MEMS pressure sensor element integrated in a sensor catheter. The sensor catheter is wired to an external module for biasing, sampling, conversion and storage of sensor measurements.

Long-term functional outcome after traumatic lumbosacral dissociation. A retrospective case series of 13 patients.

Study Design: Retrospective case series.

Introduction: Traumatic lumbosacral dissociation (TLSD) is a rare subgroup of sacral fractures caused by high-energy trauma in healthy adults. There are no accepted treatment algorithms for these injuries.

Patient-reported health minimum 8 years after operatively treated displaced sacral fractures: a prospective cohort study.

Objectives: To assess long-term patient-reported health (PRH) after displaced sacral fractures, its association with clinical outcomes, and changes over time.

Design: Prospective, longitudinal single-cohort study.

Setting: Level I trauma center.

Development of clinically relevant implantable pressure sensors: perspectives and challenges.

This review describes different aspects to consider when developing implantable pressure sensor systems. Measurement of pressure is in general highly important in clinical practice and medical research. Due to the small size, light weight and low energy consumption Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology represents new possibilities for monitoring of physiological parameters inside the human body.

Radiological findings correlate with neurological deficits but not with pain after operatively treated sacral fractures.

Background And Purpose: Neurological deficits and pain are common after displaced sacral fractures. However, little is known about the association between the long-term clinical outcomes and radiological findings. We examined the long-term radiological findings and their correlations with lumbosacral pain and neurological deficits in the lower extremities after surgery for sacral fractures.

Functional outcome 10 years after surgical treatment of displaced sacral fractures.

Study Design: Prospective, longitudinal single-cohort study of 28 patients with displaced sacral fractures treated with internal fixation.

Objective: To describe the long-term functional outcome concerning neurological deficits in the lower extremities and urinary, bowel, and sexual functions after severe sacral fractures and to compare the long-term results with the results from a previously reported 1-year follow-up of the same patient cohort.

Summary Of Background Data: Displaced sacral fractures may result in considerable functional morbidity.

Pelvic trauma with displaced sacral fractures: functional outcome at one year.

Study Design: A prospective single-cohort study of 31 patients surgically treated for pelvic injuries with displaced sacral fractures.

Objective: To describe the medium term functional outcome in unstable sacral fractures.

Summary Of Background Data: Displaced sacral fractures pose a special challenge in orthopedic surgery due to the high rate of associated injuries.

Unstable sacral fractures: associated injuries and morbidity at 1 year.

Study Design: A prospective, longitudinal single-cohort study of 32 patients treated with internal fixation for unstable sacral fractures.

Objectives: To describe the prevalence of associated injuries in blunt pelvic trauma with unstable sacral fractures, and to characterize late impairments.

Summary Of Background Data: In high-energy pelvic ring injury, the close association of the spine, the intrapelvic organs and the bony pelvic ring result in high risk for additional injuries.

High-intensity training with a bi-directional bicycle pedal improves performance in mechanically unstable ankles--a prospective randomized study of 19 subjects.

A bi-directional bicycle pedal that combines proprioceptive training and evertor strengthening has been developed for the treatment of residual instability after ankle sprains. A prospective randomized study was carried out on 19 subjects with recurrent ankle sprains and positive stress X-ray films. The subjects were randomized to use either a bi-directional test pedal or a traditional uni-directional bicycle pedal and then completed a 6-week high-intensity training program on a cycle ergometer.