Acute Treatment of Contusion Injury to the Spinal Cord

摘要

A series of studies will test the effects of electric fields on recovery of function in acute contusion injuries of the spinal cord in laboratory guinea pigs and in naturally occurring clinical cases of acute spinal cord injury in dogs. In addition, the effects of a potassium channel blocker, 4-aminopyridine, will be studied. The effects of treatment on functional recovery will be evaluated using neurologic, electrodiagnostic, and urological tests. The effects of field strength, field polarity, and field oscillation will also be examined.