ASIA Classification

On our trauma service, we often have patients who have suffered traumatic spinal cord injuries.  These injuriss may be from penetrating trauma ex: (gunshot wound) or from blunt trauma (ex: high speed motor vehicle collision).   Knowing how to classify these injuries is important in clearly communiciating a physical exam findings to other medial professsionals.  The ASIA  (American Spinal Injury Association) Impairment Scale is commonly used for this purpose.  It classifies spinal cord injuries into 5 categories, based on the functional impairments.  The categories are:

 

A- Complete: No motor or sensory function in the lowest sacral segment (S4-S5)

B- Incomplete: Sensory function below neurologic level and in S4-S5, no motor function below neurologic level

C- Incomplete: Motor function is preserved below neurologic level and more than half of the key muscle groups below neurologic level have a muscle grade less than 3.

D- Incomplete: Motor function is preserved below neurologic level and at least half of the key muscle groups below neurologic level have a muscle grade 3.

E- Normal: Sensory and motor function is normal

Knowing and using this classification helps the trauma team to recognize the level of functional impairment in patients with traumatic pinal cord injury, and communicate these findings effectively to other teams.

Thanks to Dr. Laura Grimmer for this post.