title: [Characteristic of diagnosis and treatment of spinal cord stab injury].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the clinical characteristics of the incidence, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of stab injury of spinal cord.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study of the clinical materials of 42 stab spinal cord injury patients who were treated in our hospital from 1992 to 2004.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the patients, 38 were male, and 4 were female. 80% of the cases were thoracic spinal cord injury patients. Incomplete injury cases accounted for 71.4% of all the cases. Of all the 30 incomplete injury cases, 14 had the sign of standard Brown-Sequard syndrome, 6 had the sign of non-standard Brown-Sequard syndrome and 10 do not have the sign of Brown-Sequard syndrome. Magnetic resonance image was very useful to the diagnosis and treatment of the disease. Debridement was a routine to do in acute stage. Operations such as scrutinization of the spinal canal, clean-up of the hematoma, extraction of foreign bodies were optional according to different conditions. After treatment, most of the patients got good recovery as far as ASIA scale and ADL scale were concerned.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  According to the results above, it is recommended that enough attention should be given to the unique aspects of the disease to effectively facilitate recovery of such cases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Spine and Spinal Cord Surgery, China Rehabilitation Research Center, Beijing 100068, China.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Fang-yong
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jian-jun
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Guan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009192:Myelography; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014951:Wounds, Stab / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy