Abstract
Objective: The effect of post-ischemic mild hypothermia applied immediately after induced transient ischemia on the extent of neuronal damage to the spinal cord was investigated in rabbit.Subjects and Method: A 15-minute period of transient abdominal aortic occlusion for spinal cord ischemia at a rectal temperature of 37.3±0.3°C was performed just below the left renal vein via median laparotomy. Three groups of rabbits were investigated; Group 1 (n=8) subjected to ischemia and reperfused at the same temperature for 7 hours, Group 2 (n=8) also subjected to ischemia and then to 6 hours of systemic hypothermia (32.5±0.5°C), and Group 3 (n=8) non-ischemic controls. All the rabbits in Group 1 and Group 2 were sacrificed at 1 week after ischemic injury. Spinal cord sections were examined microscopically to determine the extent of ischemic neuronal damage.Results: The mean modified Tarlov’s score at 1 week after ischemic injury was 0.5±0.8 in Group 1, whereas it was 4.4±1.4 (p<.001) in Group 2. The mean total number of surviving neurons within examined sections of the spinal cord was significantly greater in Group 2 than in Group 1 (Group 1: 81±66.1 vs Group 2: 300.9±154.1, p<.001).Conclusions: Post-ischemic hypothermia induced immediately after reperfusion significantly reduced ischemia-induced neuronal damage in rabbit.
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Tsutsumi, K., Ueda, T., Shimizu, H. et al. Effect of post-ischemic hypothermia on spinal cord damage induced by transient ischemic insult in rabbits. Jpn J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 50, 359–365 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02913184
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02913184