Sensory root level recovery in patients with Frankel A quadriplegia

This prospective study was designed to demonstrate root level recovery of sensation in the zone of partial preservation in patients with C4 through C8, Frankel A spinal cord injuries. Subjects were evaluated for pin (n = 18) and light touch (n = 17) sensation. All subjects had normal sensation at the level of injury, and decreased or absent sensation at all levels caudal to that level within the zone of partial preservation; they had absent sensation at all levels below the zone of partial preservation. After the initial examination, patients were evaluated weekly for four weeks, and then at 2, 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months postinjury. Six of 18 patients recovered pin sensation and five of 17 recovered light touch within three months of injury. Most subjects who recovered had injuries from C5 through C8. Eleven of 12 C4 patients did not recover pin sensation, and 11 of 11 failed to recover light touch. However, five of six C5 to C8 patients recovered both pin and light touch. The p values (Fisher-Exact tests) for the C4 vs C5 to C8 groups were .004 and .001 for pin and light touch, respectively. In conclusion, approximately 30% of the total population improved one sensory root level, with the C5 to C8 injured patients comprising the majority of this improvement.