This study was disigned to evaluate neurologic recovery in patients with spinal cord injury.

All 34 patients were neurologically evaluated and classified according to the Frankel classification system.

And neurologic function was reassessed at an average of 13 months postinjury.

Patients were evaluated for muscle power, sensation, simple x-ray, computed tomography, magnetic resornance imaging (MRI), somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) in acute stage.

Functional recovery (D.E) was obtained 100% in the initial Frankel's classification B and C, while only 14.3% in the initial Frankel's classification A.

Patients with combined fracture and dislocation were difficult to obtain the functional recovery (23.1%).

MRI signal patterns were divided into 3 patterns. The patients with hemorrhagic pattern have lowest recovery rate to functional state (14.3%).

Evocability of somatosensory evoked potential was well correlated with good functional recovery (69.2%).

Time duration to functional recovery was 6.5, 5.3, 1.8 months for initial Frankel's classification A, B, C.

As a result, incompleteness of motor and sensory loss, absence of cord hemorrhage, absence of combined fracture and dislocation and evocability of somatosensory evoked potential were important good prognostic factors.