title: Prospective study of omental transposition in patients with chronic spinal injury.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This prospective study was designed to assess the effects of omental transposition in patients with a chronic spinal injury.
  
  
  METHODS
  Neurological status was established to be stable and multiple baseline across patient studies were done preoperatively and repeated postoperatively. Assessments included activities of daily living (ADL), functional ability, degree of spasticity, motor power, sensation, pain perception, urodynamic studies, electromyography, sensory evoked potentials (SEPs), and infrared thermography to measure peripheral and general skin vascular responses. Each patient had MRI. Assessments were done at 3, 6, and 12 months after omental transposition in 17 patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The detailed assessments failed to show significant improvement, although some patients showed minor objective and subjective change in some categories. Neurological deterioration occurred in one patient. There were 20 surgical complications including urinary tract infection, deep vein thrombosis, wound infection, and incisional hernia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Omental transposition has not been shown to improve neurological function in 17 patients with chronic spinal cord injury, and continued use of this operation in this situation is not supported by this study. Further advances in spinal cord repair may utilise the pedicled omental graft to provide an alternative vascular supply, but its current use should be limited to experimental models.
authors: Department of Neurosurgery, Wessex Neurological Centre, Southampton University Hospitals Trust, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK.
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Duffill
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Buckley
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Lang
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Neil-Dwyer
authors: F
authors: F
authors: McGinn
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Wade
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D001831:Body Temperature; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004576:Electromyography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009128:Muscle Spasticity / Q000503:physiopathology; D009132:Muscles / Q000503:physiopathology; D009852:Omentum / Q000637:transplantation*; D010146:Pain / Q000503:physiopathology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome