SCI-TReCS - Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center Salzburg

SCI-TReCS - Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center Salzburg

Projects

  ASCIS data collection

The aim of the Austrian Spinal Cord Injury Study (ASCIS) is to collect data on patients with spinal cord injuries and to evaluate the progress of long-term therapy over a three year period in each case. The anonymized data will be filed in a secure data bank.

The structure of the Austrian health care and rehabilitation system presents a unique opportunity for long-term data collection from patients with spinal cord injuries. The collected data will be made available to the participating institutions for ongoing research projects. The following medical scores will be used for the assessments and analyses in the study:

  • ASIA (American Spinal Injury Association)
  • WISCI (Walking Index for Spinal Cord Injury)
  • SCIM (Spinal Cord Independence Measure)
  • TuG, 10 m Timed Walk, 6 min Walk Test
  • VAS
  • SF 36 (questionnaire for the assessment of health-related quality of life)
  • Neurophysiology
  • Urological examination

The ASCIS receives 50% of its funding from the AUVA (Austrian General Accident Insurance Institute) and the other 50% from the PMU (Paracelsus Private Medical University).

More detailed information is available at: www.ascis.at


  Clinical studies for treatment of spinal cord injuries

Paraplegia is still an incurable condition that in most cases is brought on by acute damage to the spinal cord as a result of an injury to the spine Setting up clinical studies for treating acute spinal cord injuries is thus of key importance at the University Clinic of Trauma Surgery.

The primary focus is on preventing subsequent damage after spinal cord injuries by suppressing the tendency to swell.

In the first few days after an acute spinal cord injury the patient goes through a weakened immune response phase. It is still unknown what effect this may have on the outcome of the neurological event. Future clinical studies are planned to answer this question.