Quadriplegia News and Research

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Narrow therapeutic window for Canavan disease

Gene therapy for Canavan disease slows brain atrophy and stabilizes patients’ clinical condition, show findings that highlight the need for very early diagnosis and intervention.

22 Dec 2012

Novel technique can restore hand function in patients with spinal cord injury

Justin M. Brown, MD, reconstructive neurosurgeon at UC San Diego Health System, is one of only a few specialists in the world who have pioneered a novel technique to restore hand function in patients with spinal cord injury. In a delicate four-hour procedure, Brown splices together tiny nerve endings, only one millimeter in width, to help restore hand mobility. Most patients return home 24 hours after surgery.

16 Jun 2012

Some hand function restored in quadriplegic patient with spinal cord injury

Surgeons at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have restored some hand function in a quadriplegic patient with a spinal cord injury at the C7 vertebra, the lowest bone in the neck. Instead of operating on the spine itself, the surgeons rerouted working nerves in the upper arms. These nerves still "talk" to the brain because they attach to the spine above the injury.

16 May 2012

WVU Healthcare surgeon implants diaphragmatic pacemaker in young quadriplegic

A surgeon for WVU Healthcare has implanted a diaphragmatic pacemaker in a pediatric patient, making West Virginia University's medical center only the second in the country to use this device on a young patient, after Case-Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

30 Apr 2012

Intraoperative monitoring of spinal cord may help prevent paralysis

The American Academy of Neurology is issuing an updated guideline that recommends monitoring the spinal cord during spinal surgery and certain chest surgeries to help prevent paralysis, or loss of muscle function, related to the surgeries.

21 Feb 2012

Kessler scientists monitor Ekso device in six patients with traumatic SCI

Monitored by scientists at Kessler Foundation, six people with traumatic spinal cord injuries tested Ekso, the robotic exoskeleton from Ekso Bionics that enables wheelchair users to stand and walk.

16 Dec 2011

DryDiapersPlus joins Unique Wellness and BIOTX to provide incontinence products

DryDiapersPlus is excited to announce that they have joined with Unique Wellness and BIOTX Ltd to provide world-class incontinence products for their customers.

16 Sep 2011

Engineers develop novel hybrid HMI for hands-free control of electric powered wheelchairs

For people with severe physical disabilities, such as spinal cord injury, quadriplegia and hemiplegia or amputation, current technology for controlling a wheelchair or mobility scooter is wholly inadequate.

11 May 2011

Researchers investigate why immune system is blunted after spinal cord injury

Mobility is a challenge for spinal cord injured patients. Infection is another. Adam Thrasher, assistant professor of health and human performance, says infection is the leading cause of death for people living with spinal cord injuries for two years or more.

4 Mar 2011

$ONS trial results show promise for treating medically refractory chronic migraines: ONSTIM study$

ONS trial results show promise for treating medically refractory chronic migraines: ONSTIM study

Medtronic, Inc. announced that data from a multicenter, prospective, randomized, blinded, feasibility trial published today show promise for occipital nerve stimulation for treating medically refractory chronic migraines and support the need for further controlled study of the treatment. The study, called Occipital Nerve Stimulation for the Treatment of Intractable Migraine, included severely debilitated patients who had regularly experienced 15 or more headache days per month that were not responsive to currently available medical therapies.

18 Sep 2010

Novel Compound's NVC-422 broad-spectrum antimicrobial agent kills P. mirabilis bacteria in catheters

Patients fitted with long-term bladder catheters often face a potentially serious complication caused by a Gram-negative bacteria Proteus mirabilis that can colonize the catheters.

16 Sep 2010

Medtronic launches educational campaign to promote awareness on spasticity

Medtronic, Inc. today announced the launch of an educational campaign, called Release Your Potential, that is designed to raise awareness of spasticity, a condition that makes it difficult to voluntarily relax muscles.

14 Jul 2010

Gabapentin shows effective in patients with locked-in syndrome, opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome

For patients with quadriplegia, mutism and lower cranial nerve paralysis (locked-in syndrome), their only means of interacting with others is through vertical gaze and upper eyelid movements, using eye-coded communication strategies.

17 Jun 2010

AbleNet adds Madentec's entire line of assistive technology solutions to product portfolio

AbleNet, Inc. announces the agreement with Madentec Limited of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada for the exclusive global rights to manufacture and sell their entire line of assistive technology solutions. This adds a broad portfolio of proven devices to the AbleNet computer access products. Madentec will continue to own the products and provide engineering development support, which has been their core strength.

7 Apr 2010

People with physical disabilities endure substandard health care

Rachel steered her wheelchair into a Chicago area medical center for a series of upper gastrointestinal tests.

4 Apr 2007

Apolipoprotein E gene raises newborns' cerebral palsy risk

Apolipoprotein E (APOE), a gene associated with heightened risk for Alzheimer's disease in adults, can also increase the likelihood that brain-injured newborns will develop cerebral palsy, researchers at Children's Memorial Research Center have discovered.

5 Feb 2007

Patients in level I trauma centers were nearly 20 percent less likely to die than those in level II centers

Patients who are taken to a level 2 trauma center after suffering serious injury are significantly more likely to die than comparable patients treated at a major level 1 trauma center, according to researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.

9 Oct 2005

New research may lead to new treatments for spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis

For the first time, researchers have used human embryonic stem cells to create new insulating tissue for nerve fibers in a live animal model – a finding that has potentially important implications for treatment of spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis.

23 Nov 2004