Pharmacologic Management of Acute Spinal Cord Injury

Abstract

Spinal cord injury is a serious global public health problem that often leaves patients with devastating permanent disabilities. Although advances in supportive care have improved outcome in recent decades, there remains great need for a safe and efficacious medical treatment that improves neurologic outcome. This article reviews pharmacologic treatments evaluated or in the process of development in humans. Cellular transplantation strategies are briefly reviewed especially where they have been evaluated with pharmacologic treatments. There is great hope that one or more of these new therapeutics will be successfully translated and improve the neurologic recovery of patients in the near future.

Keywords: Central nervous system; Methylprednisolone; Neuroprotective agent; Neuroregenerative agent; Secondary injury; Spinal cord injury.