Background: The National Acute Spinal Cord Injury Studies have been a series of trials assessing the role of pharmacologic agents in the prevention of secondary neuronal damage after acute spinal cord injury.
Methods: The trials were multicenter randomized, controlled studies.
Results: Two trials have demonstrated the efficacy of high-dose methylprednisolone in improving neurologic and functional recovery and have shown a reassuring safety profile.
Conclusion: This study responds to a recent commentary on these trials and examines in particular the roles of clinical measurement, statistical analysis, and risk benefit in assembling evidence for or against innovative therapies.