Midsagittal Tissue Bridges and Walking Recovery in Spinal Cord Injury

Research Objectives: To evaluate the relationship between the presence/absence and widths of midsagittal tissue bridges and walking ability among veterans with cervical SCI. Midsagittal tissue bridges are a surrogate measurement of preserved neural tissue adjacent to a spinal cord lesion that are assessed on T2-weighted magnetic resonance images (MRIs). The presence and widths of these bridges are consistently associated with improved sensory and motor function following SCIs.

Design: Cohort study. Retrospective analysis of T2-weighted magnetic resonance images (MRIs) and clinical documentation.

Setting: University research and hospital setting

Participants: 22 United States veterans with cervical, predominantly chronic spinal cord injury.

Interventions: This was a retrospective study and no interventions were implemented.

Main Outcome Measures: The presence/absence of midsagittal tissue bridges, the widths of present ventral and dorsal tissue bridges, and walking ability

Results: Fourteen of the analyzed participant images revealed the presence of midsagittal tissue bridges. Ten of those individuals (71%) possessed overground walking ability. The 8 individuals with no apparent tissue bridges were all unable to walk. There was a significant correlation between walking and widths of ventral midsagittal tissue bridges (r=.69, 95%CI: .52, .92, p<.001), as well as dorsal midsagittal tissue bridges (r= .44, 95%CI: .15, .73, p < .05).

Conclusions: The evaluation of midsagittal tissue bridges may be useful in various rehabilitation settings to help inform patients’ plan of care, allocation of neuromodulatory resources, and appropriate stratification into research cohorts.

Author(s) Disclosures: N/A