Controversy exists regarding the optimal management of acute traumatic cervical spinal cord injury (SCI), especially those without bone injury. Although surgical decompression is often performed in SCI patients with cervical canal stenosis, efficacy and timing of surgery continues to be a subject of intense debate. In this randomized controlled trial, the investigators compare two strategies: early surgery within 24 hours after admission and delayed surgery following at least 2 weeks of conservative treatment. The purpose of this study is to examine whether early surgery would result in greater improvement in motor function as compared with delayed surgery.

Brief Title

Optimal Treatment for Spinal Cord Injury Associated With Cervical Canal Stenosis (OSCIS) Study

Official Title

Randomized Trial of Early Versus Delayed Surgery for Acute Traumatic Cervical Spinal Cord Injury Without Bone Injury in Patients With Cervical Canal Stenosis

Brief Summary

Controversy exists regarding the optimal management of acute traumatic cervical spinal cord <br /> injury (SCI), especially those without bone injury. Although surgical decompression is often <br /> performed in SCI patients with cervical canal stenosis, efficacy and timing of surgery <br /> continues to be a subject of intense debate. In this randomized controlled trial, the <br /> investigators compare two strategies: early surgery within 24 hours after admission and <br /> delayed surgery following at least 2 weeks of conservative treatment. The purpose of this <br /> study is to examine whether early surgery would result in greater improvement in motor <br /> function as compared with delayed surgery.

Outcome Measures

Outcome measures are the tests that investigators perform to prove whether or not a treatment being tested in a clinical trial is having any effect.

Inclusion Criteria:

  -  Patients with acute traumatic cervical spinal cord injury (at C5 or below) admitted
     within 48 hours after injury

       1. No bone injury (no fracture or instability)

       2. American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Grade C

       3. Cervical canal stenosis due to preexisting conditions such as spondylosis and
          ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL)

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Unstable medical status

  2. Difficult to undergo surgery within 24 hours after admission

  3. Impaired consciousness or mental disorder that precludes neurological examination

  4. Difficult to obtain informed consent in Japanese