title: [Clinical rehabilitation of the spinal cord injury patient--is the Guttmann concept still valid?].
abstract: The focus of Guttmann's treatment concept had been to set up a comprehensive rehabilitation system, aimed not only at saving the life of a person with paraplegia or tetraplegia but at giving it meaning as well. Progress made in the fields of rescue services, anaesthesia, intensive medicine, in spinal surgery, neurourology and diagnostics (CT, MRI) as well as in pharmacology, have decisively enhanced the possibilities of clinical rehabilitation, and have in some respects entailed deviations from Guttmann's classical treatment principles. Moreover, the patient population has changed in profile in the course of time, due to better chances of survival also in high-level tetraplegia, greater numbers of higher-age SCI patients and of patients with non-traumatic SCI (tumours, metastases, infections). A higher life expectancy achieved by better possibilities as regards prevention and treatment of SCI-related complications, new challenges for the future emanate from age-related diseases occurring in addition to the spinal lesion.
authors.affiliation: Zentrum für Rückenmarkverletzte, Werner-Wicker-Klinik, Bad Wildungen.
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Gerner
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D010264:Paraplegia / Q000401:mortality / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D012047:Rehabilitation Centers / Q000639:trends; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000401:mortality / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D015996:Survival Rate
vernacular_title: Zur klinischen Rehabilitation des Querschnittgelähmten--Hat das Guttmannsche Konzept noch Gültigkeit?