| Dr. Carlos Lima is a Neuropathologist and has spent over 16 years at the Hospital Egas MOniz in Lisbon, Portugal developing a procedure to harvest olfactory mucosa from the lining of the nasal cavity, and surgically implanting this tissue in traumatic spinal cord lesions to stimualte regeneration of new neural connections across the damaged cord segment. The transplanted tissue is believed to stimulate regeneration via several mechanisms. The olfactory mucosa contains several different types of cells including stem cells and neural precursor cells, which may replace damaged nerves. It is also possible that chemical growth factors secreted by the transplanted tissue activate regenerative preocesses in the surviving native spinal cord tissue. Aside from the inherent inability of the spinal cord nerves cells to regenerate after trauma without treatment, a second impediment to recovery is scarring that occurs in and around the zone of injury, preventing reestablishment of neural connections. The Neurosurgeon preforming the transplant first "untethers" the spinal cord, removing as much scar tissue as is safely possible using an operating microscope. Subsequently, the olfactory mucosa tissue, harvested by an otolaryngologist in the operating room, is implanted in the damaged area of the spinal cord (usually a cavity is created inside the scar at the site of the previous trauma to the spinal cord.) The patient is discharged from the hospital 5-7 days following surgery and is usually able to resume usual activiteis two weeks after surgery. |
