Spinal cord injury: diagnostic indicators.

Two experiments are summarized. One study revealed the cutaneous reaction of patients with spinal cord injury to intradermal injection of histamine and compared it with the response of healthy controls. Results indicated that the prevailing number of patients with spinal cord injury failed to demonstrate the flare skin reaction below the lesion. In the second experiment the majority of patients with spinal cord injury showed an elevated complement level. Both findings could be helpful diagnostic procedures since the activated complement might play a potential role in the pathogenicity of this malady.