Clinical assessment of nalmefene for acute spinal cord injury

Tao Xiaohui; Liu Bo; Zhang Guilin; Li Qin

doi:10.3760/cma.j.issn.1673-4777.2014.03.020

Abstract：Objective To investigate the effects of nalmefene on acute traumatic spinal cord injury. Methods Sixty-two patients of acute traumatic spinal cord injury were randomly divided into two groups. One group contained subjects treated with nalmefene, and the other contained control group subjects. The control group included 32 patients whom received conventional therapy, while the 30 patients in the nalmefene group were injected with 0.5 mg/d nalmefene for 14 days in addition to receiving the conventional therapy. Subsequently, the subjects underwent a neurological evaluation, with the American spinal injury association (ASIA) assessing and comparing the results, including analysis of motor and sensory function at 2 weeks, 3 and 6 months after treatment. Results The recovery scores between Nalmefene-treated group and control group in motor function were 11.6±4.6 and 8.4±3.6 (P<0.05) at 2 weeks, 19.0±5.7 and 15.3±4.7 (P<0.01) at 3 months, 25.7±5.5 and 21.9±4.9 (P<0.01) at 6 months, respectively. The recovery scores between 2 groups in pain sensory function were 8.1±3.0 and 6.6±3.2 (P<0.05) at 2 weeks, 14.3±3.9 and 9.6±3.6 (P<0.01) at 3 months, 16.3±3.8 and 11.7±3.9 (P<0.01) at 6 months, respectively. Additionally, recovery score between 2 groups in touch sensory function were 6.7±2.8 and 4.8±2.4 (P<0.05) at 2 weeks, 9.1±2.7 and 7.8±2.3 (P<0.05) at 3 months, 11.2±3.2 and 9.2±2.6 (P<0.05) at 6 months, respectively. Compared with control group, the nalmefene-treated group showed significantly greater recovery in both motor and sensory functions at 2 weeks, 3 and 6 months after treatment. Conclusion Nalmefene can promote neurological functional recovery in patients with acute spinal cord injury and improve their prognosis.