Pattern and outcome of traumatic spinal cord injury managed at University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Nigeria: A retrospective study

Abstract

Background: Understanding pattern and outcome of traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) will inform better management which expectedly would improve prognosis and minimise complications. Methods: A retrospective study was carried out on all managed TSCI cases from January 2009 to December 2018. Sociodemographic characteristics, injury type, cause and complications were extracted from patients' registers and case folders. Descriptive statistics summarised the data, and Fisher's exact test analysed associations between variables. Results: Eighty-one cases met the inclusion criteria and were analysed. Most cases (91.4%) were males, aged 18–39 years (65.4%) and were civil servants (37.0%). Road traffic accident (RTA) was the leading cause of injury (37.0%) and incomplete lesion predominated (69.1%). Cases referred for physiotherapy constituted 77.8%, only 14.8% of cases recovered without neurological deficits. On discharge, most patients were wheelchair bound (33.3%). Region of spine affected showed significant association with complications developed (P = 0.01). RTA caused more dead as a cause of injury was found to be significantly associated with outcome (P = 0.04). Referral for physiotherapy showed significant association with outcome (P = 0.01), so also, region of spine affected with outcome (0.01). The study found a significant association between type of injury and functional status (P = 0.01). Conclusions: The study concludes that young adults of working class were mostly affected, and RTA and gunshots injuries were the leading causes of TSCI. Findings such as the association found between regions of spine affect and complication developed on admission will help healthcare providers identify those susceptible and offer prompt preventive measures.

Keywords

• bedsore
• road traffic accident
• spinal cord
• trauma