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Study design:

Literature review.

Objectives:

To present a comprehensive overview of autonomic assessment in experimental spinal cord injury (SCI).

Methods:

A systematic literature review was conducted using PubMed to extract studies that incorporated functional motor, sensory or autonomic assessment after experimental SCI.

Results:

While the total number of studies assessing functional outcomes of experimental SCI increased dramatically over the past 27 years, studies with motor outcomes dramatically outnumber those with autonomic outcomes. Within the areas of autonomic dysfunction (cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal, lower urinary tract, sexual function and thermoregulation), not all aspects have been characterized to the same extent. Studies focusing on bladder and cardiovascular function greatly outnumber those on sexual function, gastrointestinal function and thermoregulation. This review …