New Strategies in Neurogenic Heterotopic Ossification

Neurogenic heterotopic ossification (NHO) is the formation of bone in soft tissues due to spinal cord or brain injury. It causes pain and stiffness, affecting quality of life and delaying rehabilitation. New treatments target factors like bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), retinoic acid receptors (RARs), and hypoxic inhibitors, aiming to inhibit the pathological process of HO at various stages. Traditional treatments like anti-inflammatory drugs and radiation are often ineffective, especially for NHO, necessitating new molecular therapies.

• 1
  NHO prevalence in SCI patients ranges from 10% to 53%, with lower rates in pediatric patients.
• 2
  Risk factors for NHO include the duration of coma, need for artificial ventilation, low cervical or high thoracic SCI lesions, male sex, young age, and autonomic dysreflexia.
• 3
  Neuroinflammation, involving substances like OSM and TGF-β, plays a crucial role in initiating heterotopic bone formation after SCI.