Rehabilitation outcomes in females with spinal cord injury: a follow-up study.

A follow-up study was carried out on patients with spinal cord injury discharged from the G. F. Strong Rehabilitation Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada over a five year period with a minimum time from discharge to follow up of 18 months. Those no longer residing in the province, under the age of sixteen years on discharge, or who had made a substantial recovery were eliminated from the study. All of the patients included required a wheelchair or other aids for ambulation and had loss of normal bowel and bladder control. Twenty-four patients out of 37 who met the criteria were interviewed and details of medical, social, vocational and psychological outcomes are presented. In addition there were four deaths, the causes of which are discussed. Interesting comparisons between tetraplegic and paraplegic patients are given. Some differences between the findings in female and male patients are included.