Researchers at the Rothman Institute at Jefferson have shown that patients who receive surgery less than 24 hours after a traumatic cervical spine injury suffer less neural tissue destruction and improved clinical outcomes.
“…the odds of a significant (at least two grade) improvement in neurologic status is 2.8 times higher when surgery is performed within 24 hours post-injury. This can be the difference between walking and not for the rest of one’s life,” says Doctor Alexander Vaccaro of Jefferson Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University.