Clinical and Radiological Differences in Patients Following Traumatic SCI at Different Ages

Area of Science:

• Traumatology
• Geriatric Medicine
• Neurosurgery

Background:

• Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) affects spinal structures and can cause functional deficits across all age groups.
• Ground-level falls are a common cause of SCI, with varying impacts on different age demographics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate social, clinical, and radiological distinctions in spinal cord injury (SCI) among young, middle-aged, and elderly adults.
• To identify age-specific patterns in SCI etiology, presentation, and management following ground-level falls.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of patient records with a clinical diagnosis of traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) from ground-level falls.
• Patients were categorized into three age groups: young (18-35), middle-aged (36-60), and elderly (over 60).
• Comparison of social, clinical, and radiological variables across the defined age groups.

Main Results:

• Elderly adults showed higher incidence of low schooling, widowhood, and homemaker status; middle-aged adults were more frequently single.
• Compression fractures and facial trauma were more common in elderly individuals, with facial trauma increasing with age.
• Conservative management prevailed in the elderly, while middle-aged adults underwent more posterior surgical approaches; CT identified listhesis better in middle-aged, and MRI revealed spinal cord contusions and C1 lesions in young adults.

Conclusions:

• Social factors like low education and widowhood increase SCI risk in the elderly.
• Age-specific clinical presentations include compression fractures and facial trauma in the elderly.
• Radiological findings like listhesis (CT) and spinal cord contusions (MRI) show age-related identification differences.