Abstract
This study was designed to test the 1992 International Standards for Neurological and Functional Classification of Spinal Cord Injury. One hundred and six professionals in the field of spinal cord injury attending an instructional course at the 1994 ASIA Meeting participated in the test. Participants completed a pretest and posttest in which they classified two patients who had a spinal cord injury (one with complete tetraplegia and one with incomplete paraplegia) by sensory and motor levels, zone of partial preservation (ZPP), ASIA Impairment Scale and completeness of injury. Between tests, three members of the ASIA Standards Executive Committee gave presentations on the neurological assessment, scoring, scaling and classification of spinal cord injury and a video of the actual examinations of the two cases was viewed. Percent ‘correct’ (as defined by the ASIA Standards Committee) was calculated for sensory and motor levels, ZPP, ASIA Impairment and completeness. Overall, the analyses showed that participants had very little difficulty in correctly classifying the patient with complete tetraplegia. Pretests scores ranged from 72% (left motor level) to 96% (complete injury), posttest scores from 73% (left motor level) to 100% correct (complete injury). For the patient with incomplete paraplegia (Case 2), scores were considerably lower. Pretest scores ranged from 16% (right motor level) to 95% correct (incomplete injury); posttest scores from 21% (right motor level) to 97% correct (incomplete injury). The results showed that further revisions of the 1992 Standards and more training is needed to ensure accurate classification of spinal cord injury.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Cohen, M., Jr, J., Donovan, W. et al. A test of the 1992 International Standards for Neurological and Functional Classification of Spinal Cord Injury. Spinal Cord 36, 554–560 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.sc.3100602
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.sc.3100602
Keywords
This article is cited by
-
Computer International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (ISNCSCI) algorithms: a review
Spinal Cord (2023)
-
What should be clarified when learning the International Standards to Document Remaining Autonomic Function after Spinal Cord Injury (ISAFSCI) among medical students
Spinal Cord Series and Cases (2021)
-
Sensitivity and specificity of the ‘knee-up test’ for estimation of the American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale in patients with acute motor incomplete cervical spinal cord injury
Spinal Cord (2018)
-
Achieving assessor accuracy on the International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury
Spinal Cord (2017)
-
An evaluation of the International Standards to Document Remaining Autonomic Function after Spinal Cord Injury: input from the international community
Spinal Cord (2017)