• Cornelia Putz, Bernd Wiedenhöfer, Hans Jürgen Gerner, and Carl Hans Fürstenberg.
• Spinal Cord Injury Center, Orthopaedic University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany. cornelia.putz@ok.uni-heidelberg.de
• Spine. 2008 Nov 15;33(24):2669-74.

Study DesignRetrospective clinical study.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to examine whether the Tokuhashi score correlates with the neurologic outcome in early surgical treatment in metastatic spinal cord compression (MSCC). A retrospective analysis of 35 consecutive incomplete tetraplegic and paraplegic patients with vertebral metastases (VM) and spinal cord compression (SCC) was performed.Summary Of Background DataMSCC is a challenging problem in VM and constitutes an oncologic emergency. The Tokuhashi score has been modified recently and seems to constitute the best method of prediction for real survival in patients with VM. Until now the influence of the neurologic status as a prognostic factor has been discussed controversially.MethodsData of 35 patients with VM and incomplete tetraplegia or paraplegia, who underwent surgical treatment, were reviewed retrospectively from 2005 to 2006 at our hospital. All patients were classified among the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale (AIS) before and after surgery and at the follow-up. Data were analyzed with SPSS 15.0 and correlation coefficients (Spearman rho) were computed.ResultsAnalysis showed that 19 patients (54.3%) with an average Tokuhashi score of 9 showed an improvement in the AIS, whereas 12 (34.3%) patients with an average score of 8 had no change and 4 (11.4%) patients with a score of 7 had deterioration. AIS changes showed a positive correlation with Tokuhashi score (r = 0.33; P = 0.048).ConclusionOur clinical observation suggests that patients with spinal metastases and a high Tokuhashi score benefit from surgical treatment with moderate improvement in sensomotoric function even in a heterogenic collective.

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