Premium
Experimental acute traumatic injury of the adult rat spinal cord by a subdural inflatable balloon: Methodology, behavioral analysis, and histopathology
Author(s) -
Martin D.,
Schoenen J.,
Delrée P.,
Gilson V.,
Rogister B.,
Leprince P.,
Stevenaert A.,
Moonen Gustave
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
journal of neuroscience research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.72
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1097-4547
pISSN - 0360-4012
DOI - 10.1002/jnr.490320409
Subject(s) - medicine , laminectomy , spinal cord , inflatable , balloon , histopathology , spinal cord compression , subdural space , spinal cord injury , lesion , anesthesia , magnetic resonance imaging , surgery , anatomy , radiology , pathology , mechanical engineering , hematoma , psychiatry , engineering
We describe an experimental model to produce closed traumatic injuries to the spinal cord of adult rats. This model uses an inflatable balloon that is introduced in the dorsal subdural space and moved to a location rostral to the laminectomy site. The spinal cord trauma can be graded by varying either the duration of compression or the volume of saline used to inflate the balloon. The locomotor deficit of animals with various degrees of injury has been assessed at increasing delays after trauma. The parameters generating transient or definitive deficits of varying intensity were defined. Some injured animals underwent nuclear magnetic resonance imaging. Detailed histopathological studies demonstrated that the extent of the spinal lesion was significantly correlated with the physical parameters of compression and with the severity of the behavioral deficit. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.