Motor Recovery Following Spinal Cord Injury Caused by Stab Wounds: a Multicenter Study

A prospective multicenter study was conducted by centers participating in the National Model Spinal Cord Injury System program to examine neurological deficit and recovery patterns following spinal cord injury (SCI) resulting from stab wounds. Thirty two patients were evaluated. Sixty three percent presented with motor incomplete lesions on initial examination. In addition, four of seven who initially presented with motor complete paraplegia were motor incomplete at follow-up. Furthermore, 50% of those with motor incomplete lesions had asymmetrical motor patterns indicative of a Brown-Séquard Syndrome. Although the percentage of patients sustaining an incomplete SCI injury following a stab injury to the spine is higher than the percentage of incomplete lesions associated with other etiologies, the amount of motor recovery when controlling for level and completeness of injury is no greater than previously reported for other etiologies.