Nerve Transfer Surgery to Restore Upper-limb Function After Cervical Spinal Cord Injury

Summary

The goal of this prospective, open-label cohort study is to assess functional outcomes in individuals with cervical spinal cord injury who have undergone nerve transfer surgery to restore upper limb function. The main questions it aims to answer are:

* Does nerve transfer improve hand function in individuals with cervical spinal cord injury?
* What factors are associated with functional improvement following nerve transfer? Researchers will compare functional outcomes at 24 months post-surgery to 1) baseline outcomes and 2) individuals with cervical spinal cord injury who did not undergo nerve transfer.

Participants who have received nerve transfer surgery as part of their regular medical care will complete functional hand tests, electrodiagnostic assessments, and questionnaires on independence and mood every 3 months for 24 months after surgery.

Conditions

• Spinal Cord Injury
• Spinal Cord Injury at C5-C7 Level
• SCI - Spinal Cord Injury
• Upper Extremity Paralysis
• Upper Extremity Dysfunction
• Tetraplegia
• Upper Extremity Paresis
• Cervical Spinal Cord Injury

Interventions

PROCEDURE

Nerve transfer surgery

The intervention in this study, which follows our clinical approach, is the "double nerve transfer" to restore grasp function (i.e., hand opening and hand closing). Finger and thumb extension (hand opening) is restored via the supinator-posterior interosseous nerve (PIN) transfer. Finger and thumb flexion (hand closing) is restored via a nerve transfer to the anterior interosseous nerve (AIN). There are two donor nerve options available to restore function to the muscles supplied by the AIN: the nerve to the brachialis and the nerve to the extensor carpi radialis longus (ECRL) or extensor carpi radialis brevis (ECRB).

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Queen's University

  collaborator OTHER

• Dalhousie University

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Toronto

  collaborator OTHER

• Wings for Life

  collaborator OTHER

• University of British Columbia

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Michael Berger, MD, PHD · University of British Columbia

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

70 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2021-06-03

Primary Completion

2028-01-31

Completion

2028-01-31

Countries

• Canada

Study Locations