A scale for evaluation of spinal cord injury.

A scale has been developed for assessment of the severity of spinal cord injury and the prognosis for recovery. Based on neurological examination, this scale employs numerical grading of selected functions below the level of the injury. The scale is adaptable to prospective as well as retrospective studies, and provides a reliable estimation of prognosis and, therefore, a means of comparing the effectiveness of differing treatment modalities. In relation to a group of 37 patients with cervical spinal cord injury treated under one protocol and assessed within 24 hours and again at 1 year from injury, a descriptive model of the patterns of recovery has been obtained. Relative recovery of the initial deficit measured as a "percentage recovery ratio" is presented as an analytical tool for comparison of effectiveness of different methods of therapy.