Radiation Therapy And Microsurgery- Hope For Injured Spinal Cords

Research in lab rats with crushed spinal cords, mimicking human injury, show that a treatment combining radiation therapy to destroy harmful cells and microsurgery to drain excess fluids , can lead to even a permanent recovery.

Since repair of damaged cord directly correlates with prevention of paralysis, this research demonstrates that conventional clinical procedures hold promise for preventing paralysis from spinal cord injuries.

Currently there is no cure for human spinal cord injury. Treatment after injury is largely limited to steroids administered to prevent further deterioration. “This research opens the door to developing a clinical protocol for curing human spinal cord injuries using conventional therapies,” said lead researcher Nurit Kalderon, Ph.D.

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