Spinal Cord Injury
Also written as: SCI — Spinal Cord Injury
Damage to the spinal cord resulting in partial or complete loss of motor, sensory, or autonomic function below the level of the lesion, classified by the ASIA Impairment Scale.
Full Definition
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a catastrophic neurological event with profound rehabilitation implications, encompassing tetraplegia (formerly quadriplegia) and paraplegia depending on the vertebral level of injury. The American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale (AIS) grades injury severity from A (complete) to E (normal function), and editors should use the current terminology—ASIA Impairment Scale, not 'Frankel Scale,' which is outdated. In PM&R documents, the injury level is denoted by vertebral segment (e.g., C5 complete SCI), and consistent formatting of cervical (C), thoracic (T), lumbar (L), and sacral (S) segments is essential. The abbreviation SCI is acceptable after first expansion. 'Quadriplegia' is now largely replaced by 'tetraplegia' in clinical usage.
Usage
Usage note: 'Quadriplegia' is largely obsolete in current clinical practice; prefer 'tetraplegia.' Always specify the ASIA grade and vertebral level in clinical documents.
In Context
- "The patient sustained a C6 AIS-B spinal cord injury and was admitted to the acute rehabilitation unit." — Inpatient rehabilitation admission note
- "Editors should replace the outdated term 'quadriplegia' with 'tetraplegia' when the injury level is cervical." — Style guide for SCI-specific publications