Methylprednisolone used according to the NASCIS-II protocol to treat patients with acute traumatic spinal cord injuries resulted in more complications and did not improve motor score recovery compared with patients who did not receive the steroid, according to results of a comparative study published in the Journal of Neurotrauma.
Investigator Michael G. Fehlings, MD, PhD, FRCSC, FACS, said despite the small number of patients who received methylprednisolone in the study, the results support the guideline recommendations against routine administration of methylprednisolone in acute traumatic spinal cord injuries (SCIs).