Table 3. Summary of studies investigating the agreement between neurological and autonomic completeness of injury.
| Author | Level | N | Outcome | Main findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curt (1997)6 | C LT |
22(11) 9 |
AIS vs SSR | 1. 3/11 patients with neurologically incomplete injury exhibited no SSR 2. No patient with neurologically complete SCI exhibited preservation of SSR. |
| Curt (1996)29 | C T |
29 (13) 41 (31) |
AIS vs SSR | 1. No patient with a neurologically complete SCI between C3 and T3 could elicit an SSR. 2. In patients with complete SCI between T4 and T8, palmar SSRs could be elicited. 3. In patients with complete SCI between caudal to T8, palmar and plantar SSRs could be elicited. 4. Approximately 50% of individuals with incomplete SCI exhibited no SSR. 5. No patient with AD exhibited preserved SSR. 6. In patients with incomplete SCI, only 47% exhibited normal SSRs. |
| Claydon (2006)32 | C HT LT |
14 (7) 7 (2) 4 (1) |
AIS vs SSR | 1. SSR were not reliably predicted by AIS. 2. 40% of individuals with AIS A exhibited some preservation of SSR. 3. 30% of subjects with AIS B, C or D exhibited no preservation of SSR. |
| Cariga (2002)30 | AIS A (C3-L1) AIS B (C3-C4) AIS C (C4-T1) AIS D (C4-T1) |
17 4 4 4 |
AIS vs SSR | 1. 1/11 patients with a complete injury rostral to T6 exhibited preserved palmar SSR. 2. 1/2 patients with a complete injury at T6 exhibited preserved palmar SSR. 3. All patients with a complete injury caudal to T6 exhibited preserved palmar SSR. 4. 1/4 patients with an incomplete injury (AIS C) rostral to T1 exhibited no palmar SSR. 5. 4/4 patients with an incomplete injury (AIS C) rostral to T1 exhibited a palmar SSR. |
| Claydon (2006) 31 | C T |
19 (7) 8 (1) |
AIS vs SSR | 1. Only one individual with cervical SCI (AIS B) exhibited preserved SSR. 2. 8/8 individuals with thoracic SCI exhibited preserved palmar SSR. 3. 2/8 individuals with thoracic SCI exhibited preserved plantar SSR. |
Note: AD = autonomic dysreflexia; AIS = American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale; C = cervical; HT = high thoracic; LT = low thoracic; SCI = spinal cord injury; SSR = sympathetic skin response; T = thoracic.