Abstract
Therapeutic hypothermia as a potential treatment for spinal cord injury (SCI) has a long history. In early studies by Albin and colleagues (1–3), selective spinal cord cooling to approximately 12°C resulted in marked neurological and functional recovery after SCI. In a study by Green and colleagues (4), regional hypothermia (6–18°C) in cats initiated 1 hr post-injury decreased edema formation and hemorrhage. In studies by Wells and Hansebout (55), local cooling to 6°C was also reported to be effective in minimizing functional deficits in dogs, even when initiated 4 hr after spinal cord compression. Taken together, these early investigations support the use of profound hypothermia as a therapeutic strategy to protect the spinal cord after injury. Nevertheless, producing profound local hypothermia of the injured spinal cord presents various technical problems, and the alternative use of systemic hypothermia can lead to potentially serious complications. Because the beneficial effects of hypothermia have been somewhat inconsistent in laboratory experiments, and some clinical studies lacked adequate controls, it is currently difficult to determine the degree of benefit with hypothermic therapy after SCI.