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AbstractBackground:Little is known about the possible impact of the system of care on mortality during the first year after acute traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI).Objective:To evaluate latemortality (ie, >7 days after trauma) during the first year after acute TSCI in 2 European Union (EU) regions, Thessaloniki in Greece and Stockholm in Sweden.Methods:This paper is part of the Stockholm Thessaloniki Acute Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury Study (STATSCIS), which is a prospective, population-based study. Incidence cohorts of TSCI cases were identified and followed up in both study regions through STATSCIS. Data from Thessaloniki region were collected through physical examination, medical records review, and interviews with TSCI individuals and the medical teams. Data from Stockholm were retrieved mainly from the Nordic Spinal Cord Injury Registry, as well as from direct contact with all intensive care facilities of the region.Results:The annual case mortality rate after acute TSCI was nearly 20% in Thessaloniki and 0% in Stockholm. The mean time of survival after trauma for the 12 mortality cases of Thessaloniki was 47 days (median = 24, SD±67, range = 8–228). Factors associated with mortality were higher age and presence of comorbid spinal disorders but also the inefficient transfer logistics, initially missed spinal instability, and unsuccessfully treated complications.Conclusions:The annual case mortality rate in Thessaloniki was dramatically higher than in Stockholm. The different approaches to care, one systematic and the other not, is postulated to be an important factor leading to such major discrepancies between the outcomes of these 2 EU regions.

AbstractBackground/Objective: Spinal cord injury (SCI) occurring during adolescence poses additional challenges because of the concurrent age-specific bio-psychosocial development. Full understanding of the psychosocial dimensions of rehabilitation requires exploration of the patient perspective. The objective of this study was to focus on psychosocial factors from the patient perspective in persons who had previously sustained a SCI during early and mid-adolescence (11-15 years of age).Methods: Twenty-four of the 28 persons who had sustained a SCI in Sweden from 1985 to 1996 participated in the study. Semistructured interviews were made an average of 10 years after injury. Narratives were analyzed qualitatively according to content analysis.Results: Parents and peers were found to have formed a crucial network. Parents frequently acted as advocates in interactions with health care providers, as supporters, and as containers of sorrow, frustration, and anger. Peers acted as promoters of activity and identity development. However, health care providers were perceived as not making sufficient use of this network.Conclusions: Rehabilitation professionals might be encouraged to increase their knowledge of adolescence medicine to better meet the specific needs and demands of persons in this age group. It is further suggested that parents and peers be considered important partners in the joint rehabilitation effort.

Background. Sexuality in spinal cord injured women has largely been neglected. One reason may be the male dominance amongst traumatically spinal cord injured individuals. The purpose of this study is to elucidate sexual issues in women with spinal cord injuries.Methods. Survey of near-total prevalence population in the greater Stockholm area. Structured interview, based on a standardized questionnaire. Self-rating scales for evaluation of the importance of sexual activity before and after injury and for defining and rating the medical problem most significantly interfering with sexual activity. Marital status and/or partnership pre- and post-injury and information on sexual matters provided after injury were evaluated in detail. Out of a total of 65 women, 62 participated in the study.Result. Women with complete and incomplete cervical lesions rated the importance of sexual activity significantly lower after, as compared to before, spinal cord injury. No significant differences were found in women with lower-level lesions. Urinary leakage, spasticity and positioning problems were the medical problems most significantly interfering with partner-related sexual activity. Only six women had received information on sexual matters before discharge from hospital. None of the partners had received such information.Conclusion. The women's neurological status affect their ability to adapt sexually after injury. Medical problems commonly interfere with sexuality and should be identified and treated. No adverse impact of spinal cord injury on marital status could be confirmed. Sexual counseling has yet to become an integral part of rehabilitation.

• Critical flicker fusion frequencies and visual contrast sensitivity were determined in 27 adult epileptic patients receiving carbamazepine monotherapy and in 24 healthy, drug-free control subjects. Flicker fusion thresholds were the same in patients and control subjects, whereas the contrast sensitivity was significantly reduced in the patient group at all spatial frequencies. There was a significant negative correlation between the plasma concentration of carbamazepine and the contrast sensitivity at 11.4 and 22.8 cycles per degree, indicating that the reduced contrast sensitivity was due to the drug therapy.