title: Neoplastic myelopathies and traumatic spinal cord lesions: an Italian comparison of functional and neurological outcomes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although neoplastic spinal cord injuries (NSCIs) constitute ∼25% of all non-traumatic spinal cord lesions, patients with such pathologies are seldom, if ever, admitted to specialized centers; further, their rehabilitation typically is short because of the perception that rehabilitation prolongs hospital stays unnecessarily and is reserved only for patients with very good prognoses.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study is a retrospective analysis.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study is to evaluate the neurological and functional outcomes of patients with NSCIs compared with those of patients with traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI).
  
  
  METHODS
  We evaluated 208 patients with TSCIs and 63 with NSCIs; using a matching cohorts procedure, 43 comparable couples were selected from each group. The measures used to assess these patients were the American Spinal Injury Association standards, the Barthel Index (BI), the Rivermead Mobility Index and the Walking Index for Spinal Cord Injury.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the general population, NSCI patients are older and have longer lesion-to-admission times and more incomplete lesions than TSCI patients. Therefore, the functional status at admission and outcomes differed between the groups. In the matching cohorts, TSCI patients had lower BI scores at admission than NSCI subjects. At discharge, the two groups had comparable functional outcomes. Neurological status was similar at admission and at discharge.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although they had slightly disparate functional levels at admission, NSCI and TSCI patients had the same outcomes at discharge. Our data suggest that in a selected cohort of NSCI patients, rehabilitation is as successful as that in TSCI subjects and allows most patients to be discharged instead of being institutionalized.
authors.affiliation: Spinal Cord Unit, IRCCS S Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy. g.scivoletto@hsantalucia.it
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Scivoletto
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Lapenna
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Di Donna
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Laurenza
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sterzi
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Foti
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Molinari
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D013120:Spinal Cord Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices