Diagnostic Value of Serum Levels of GFAP, pNF-H, and NSE Compared With Clinical Findings in Severity Assessment of Human Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury.

Study Design. An analytical cohort study. Objective. This study aimed to evaluate severity of traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) based on the serum levels of phosphorylated form of heavy subunit of neurofi lament (pNF-H), neuron-specifi c enolase (NSE), and glial fi brillary acidic protein (GFAP), which are axonal, neural cell body, and glial cell injury markers, respectively. Summary of Background Data. Prior studies have reported elevated serum levels of pNF-H, NSE, and GFAP as biomarkers for the detection of traumatic SCI in animals. However, in this study, these biomarkers were studied in humans and with an extended level of timing. Methods. The study included 35 patients with SCI with a mean age of 36.5 years. All patients were evaluated using the American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale, followed by examinations including radiography and spinal computed tomography for determining the injury level. Serum levels of NSE, pNF-H, and GFAP were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results. The mean serum level of GFAP was signifi cantly higher in patients with SCI than in the control group. Mean serum levels of pNF-H and NSE were signifi cantly higher during 24 and 48 hours after injury in patients with SCI than in the control group. The serum