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The Neuroinflammatory Response and Biomarkers in Acute Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury

Conditions
Spinal Cord Injury, Acute
Interventions
Other: Blood samples
Other: Cerebrospinal fluid sample
Other: Clinical examination
Registration Number
NCT03505463
Lead Sponsor
University of Aarhus
Brief Summary

The study is a prospective cohort study designed to assess the diagnostic and prognostic potential of biomarker measurement in acute traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI), and to examine the neuroinflammatory response to acute TSCI.

Detailed Description

TSCI is an incurable condition with devastating consequences. The physical, psychosocial and financial implications in addition to a variable recovery and an uncertain prognosis have a profound impact on quality of life.The pathophysiology of TSCI is dual consisting of a primary injury and a secondary injury. The immediate trauma to the spinal cord and nerve roots causes the primary injury, while a prolonged cascade of events causes the secondary injury. The neuroinflammatory response is considered to be an important event. Current clinical measures to evaluate acute TSCI consist of clinical examination and routine imaging modalities. These measurements are inaccurate to assess injury severity, prognosis, and therapeutic efficacy, especially in the early acute phase. Biomarker measurement may provide a more accurate measure.

This study aim to assess the diagnostic and prognostic potential of biomarker measurement in acute TSCI, and to examine the neuroinflammatory response to acute TSCI. To achieve this, immune cells, cytokines, autoantibodies and structural proteins will be analysed in blood and cerebrospinal fluid by Flow Cytometry and assay techniques. These analyses will be correlated to clinical outcome assessed according to international standards.

Hopefully, this will contribute with new knowledge of the neuroinflammatory response and biomarkers in acute TSCI, and provide the needed knowledge for conducting futures trials in novel therapeutic interventions.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
UNKNOWN
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
30
Inclusion Criteria
  • Traumatic spinal cord injury (Bony level C1-L1)
  • ISNCSCI score A-C upon inclusion.
  • Age >18-70 years.
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Exclusion Criteria
  • Prior major spine surgery in the traumatised location.
  • Major co-morbidities or co-injuries.
  • Penetrating spinal cord injury.
  • >72 hours from injury to sample collection.
Read More

Study & Design

Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Study Design
Not specified
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Injured participantsCerebrospinal fluid sample-
Injured participantsBlood samples-
Injured participantsClinical examination-
Healthy participantsBlood samples-
Healthy participantsCerebrospinal fluid sample-
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Change in International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (ISNCSCI)<72 hours, 7 days and 365 days post-injury.
Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Walking Index for Spinal Cord Injury II (WISCI II)365 days post-injury
The Spinal Cord Independence Measure III (SCIM III)365 days post-injury
International Spinal Cord Injury Dataset for pain365 days post-injury
Visual Analogue Pain Score (VAS)365 days post-injury

VAS will be used to assess pain intensity. VAS is a scale ranging from 0 to 10 where "No pain" gives a score of 0 and "worst imaginable pain" gives a score of 10.

International Spinal Cord Injury Dataset for core365 days post-injury
International Spinal Cord Injury Dataset for bladder365 days post-injury
International Spinal Cord Injury Dataset for bowel365 days post-injury
International Spinal Cord Injury Dataset for sexual function365 days post-injury

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Aarhus University Hospital

🇩🇰

Aarhus, Denmark

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