Paralysis Healed – Spinal Cord Injuries

News broke this week that could potentially change the lives of patients suffering from paralysis as a result of spinal cord injuries.

In a procedure developed and performed by surgeons from Poland and England, a 38-year-old Bulgarian man had cells from his nose transferred to his back to regrow the damaged area of his spinal cord.

Darek Fidyka became fully paralyzed after his spine was severed in knife attack. In the four years after the attack, Fidyka described feeling helpless and lost. Without the ability to use the lower portion of his body he was doubtful of his future and looking for some kind of solution.

The results of this case were four decades in the making. Professor Geoff Raisman from the University College London has worked on this particular topic for years, spotting the potential of cells that repair damage to nasal nerves. The cells are called olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) and contribute to the sense of smell.

These cells are uniquely important to paralyzed patients as they are the only part of the nervous system that constantly regenerates. For patients with spinal cord injuries, inserting these cells in the area seems to promote regeneration and healing. As Professor Raisman describes, “The idea was to take something from an area where the nervous system can repair itself, and does throughout life, and put it into an area that doesn’t repair itself.”

Experiments with using the regenerating olfactory nerves originally showed success with rats in 1997. A rat that was previously unable to direct his hand suddenly became able to, showing Professor Raisman the potential in being able to repair the nervous system in humans.

Two operations, performed in Wroclaw, Poland by neurosurgeon Dr. Pawel Tabakow, were required to shift the olfactory nerves to the spine. In the first operation, the surgeons removed one of Fidyka’s olfactory bulbs and grew the cells in a culture. These cells were transplanted to his spinal cord in a procedure two weeks later. 100 micro-injections of the cells were made around the injury site.

To treat the gap in the cord that was the result of his injury, four strips of nerve tissue were moved from Fidyka’s ankle and placed across the gap on the cord. These nerve grafts served to bridge the gap in the cord, with the help of the OECs.

The surgery took place in 2012, after Fidyka had been told the chances of recovering any sensation or ability to move from the waist down were improbable. Six months after the surgery, he experienced his first sensation in years: pain from a pressure sore on his hip. In the following months, he started recovering more sensation during his physiotherapy sessions.

Now, two years after the surgery, he can walk outside his rehabilitation center using a frame. His exercise program is time consuming and intense, with five hour sessions five days a week.

Researchers caution that these results need to be duplicated in multiple patients before any large medical leaps are made. The initial results, however, are overwhelmingly positive and encouraging. As Dr. Raisman says, “I believe we have now opened the door to a treatment of spinal cord injury which will get patients out of wheelchairs. Our goal is to develop this first procedure to a point where it can be rolled out as a worldwide general approach.”

While it will take time before the procedure can be applied on a worldwide basis, the doctors at Spine Surgery India are encouraged by the results of this groundbreaking procedure. The medical community is in constant state of change due to technological and scientific advances. Our experienced team of surgeons is always looking at these new techniques and determining their efficacy in helping our patients. For patients who have experienced debilitating spinal cord injuries, the results of this study are encouraging, though extensive research still needs to be done.

To schedule an appointment with one of our experienced physicians please call +91-84475-92299 or can you can go to - http://goo.gl/Lf1mCY

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