@article{Chen2025, 
author = {Qiang Chen and Weilong Huang and Jianhong Tang and Guohui Ye and Hongliang Meng and Qing Jiang and Linying Ge and HuiChen Li and Lin Liu and Qiuhua Jiang and Dong Wang},
title = {Reviving consciousness: The impact of short-term spinal cord stimulation on patients with early-onset prolonged disorders of consciousness},
year = {2025},
journal = {Journal of Neurorestoratology},
volume = {13},
number = {1},
keywords = {Short-term spinal cord stimulation, Prolonged disorders of consciousness, Therapeutic window, Neuromodulation, Related factors},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.1016/j.jnrt.2024.100143},
doi = {10.1016/j.jnrt.2024.100143},
abstract = {BackgroundManaging prolonged disorders of consciousness (pDoC) presents a significant clinical challenge despite numerous available therapies. While short-term spinal cord stimulation (st-SCS) for over 3 months has been recognized as an effective treatment for pDoC, its efficacy within the first 3 months remains unclear. This study explores st-SCS’s impact on patients with pDoC for less than 3 months.Material and methodsWe enrolled 141 pDoC patients within 3 months of onset; 104 received st-SCS, and 37 underwent conservative treatment. Consciousness levels were assessed using the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R) before treatment, 2 weeks after, and at 3-month follow-up.ResultsComparing the data from the 3-month follow-up, we found that, the st-SCS group showed significantly greater improvement in CRS-R scores compared to the control group (p < 0.01), with more patients showing symptom amelioration (51/104 (49%)). Further analysis of the st-SCS treatment group showed significant improvement in CRS-R scores after 2 weeks (T1) and at the 3-month follow-up (T2) compared to baseline (T0). Both consciousness levels and specific CRS-R items improved notably post-treatment. Younger patients (<40 years) with traumatic brain injury and higher initial CRS-R scores were more likely to experience positive outcomes. Additionally, multivariate logistic regression identified etiology, time since injury, and initial CRS-R score as significant predictors of the 3-month outcome (p < 0.05).Conclusionsst-SCS is an effective treatment for pDoC within 3 months of onset, particularly for younger patients and those with trauma-induced conditions, significantly improving consciousness and outcomes.}
}