Abstract
Study design:
Experimental dog model of spinal cord shortening.
Objectives:
To clarify the relationship between the amount of shortening of the spinal cord and the degree of injury it may induce, and to determine the safe range of the shortening.
Setting:
Xi’an Jiaotong University, China.
Methods:
Thirty adult dogs were randomly allocated to five groups. Dogs in Group A (sham operation control) underwent spondylectomy to have two-thirds of the thirteenth thoracic segment (T13) resected, without bone-to-bone contact of the adjacent vertebral bodies. Those in Group B, C, D and E had one-third, half, two-thirds and total of their T13 resected, respectively, with bone-to-bone contact. Somatosensory-evoked potentials (SEP) and spinal cord blood flow (SCBF) were detected. The histopathologic changes of spinal cord tissue were observed by hematoxylin and eosin stain and electron microscope.
Results:
The shortening of the spinal cord < half of a vertebral segment height caused a reversible change of SEP. Whereas, the changes resulted from the shortening of more than two-thirds of a vertebral segment height did not return to the normal level. SCBF increased temporarily when the shortening was within two-thirds of a vertebral segment height; whereas, it decreased progressively when the length of the shortening was equal to one vertebral segment height. More serious hemorrhage occurred as the shortening increased.
Conclusion:
Shortening of half of a vertebral segment height will not induce spinal cord injury (SCI), while that between half and two-thirds of a vertebral segment may lead to incomplete SCI.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by Technology Development Foundation of Shaanxi Province (No.2009K-01).
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Ji, L., Dang, Xq., Lan, Bs. et al. Study on the safe range of shortening of the spinal cord in canine models. Spinal Cord 51, 134–138 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/sc.2012.99
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sc.2012.99
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