Guidelines for the management of acute cervical spine and spinal cord injuries: 2013 update.

TLDR: The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the changes in the recommendations as a result of new evidence or broadened scope.

Abstract: In 2002, an author group selected and sponsored by the Joint Section on Spine and Peripheral Nerves of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and Congress of Neurological Surgeons published the first evidence-based guidelines for the management of patients with acute cervical spinal cord injuries (SCIs). In the spirit of keeping up with changes in information available in the medical literature that might provide more contemporary and more robust medical evidence, another author group was recruited to revise and update the guidelines. The review process has been completed and is published and can be once again found as a supplement to Neurosurgery. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the changes in the recommendations as a result of new evidence or broadened scope.