title: Motor evoked potential and voluntary EMG activity after olfactory mucosal autograft transplantation in a case of chronic, complete spinal cord injury: case report.
abstract: The efficacy of olfactory mucosal autografts (OMAs) for chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) has been reported, but there is no report documenting electrophysiological conductivity via the emergence of motor evoked potentials (MEPs). We report the case of a 39-year-old man with chronic, complete SCI at T8, who exhibited MEPs after OMA transplantation, and, with intensive rehabilitation, was ultimately able to ambulate with short leg braces and Lofstrand crutches. The initial injury occurred in a motor vehicle accident in November 1999 and resulted in a complete loss of sensorimotor function below T8. OMA transplantation to the injury site was performed in March 2010 in combination with intensive pre- and postoperative rehabilitation. The patient exhibited voluntary electromyograph (EMG) activity and MEPs at 96 and 144 weeks after transplantation and he was was ambulatory with short leg braces and Lofstrand crutches at 144 weeks after transplantation. We were able to elicit MEPs after OMA with intensive rehabilitation. To our knowledge, this is the first report of recovery of electrophysiological conductivity in the spinal cord after any type of treatment for chronic, complete SCI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Osaka University Medical School , Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Iwatsuki
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Wakayama Medical University , Wakayama, Japan.
authors.forename: Fumihiro
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tajima
authors.affiliation: Center for Cybernics Research, University of Tsukuba , Ibaraki, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshiyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sankai
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Osaka University Medical School , Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Yu-Ichiro
authors.initials: YI
authors.lastname: Ohnishi
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Wakayama Medical University , Wakayama, Japan.
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Osaka University Medical School , Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ishihara
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Osaka University Medical School , Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hosomi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Osaka University Medical School , Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Koshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ninomiya
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Osaka University Medical School , Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Moriwaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Osaka University Medical School , Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshiki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yoshimine