• Najah Elmounedi, Walid Bahloul, Melek Turki, Raja Amri, Mourad Aoui, Walid Elbaya, and Hassib Keskes.
• Cell therapy and experimental surgery of musculoskeletal system LR18SP1 Lab, The Faculty of Medicine of Sfax, Tunisia.
• Pain Physician. 2022 Sep 1; 25 (6): 509-517.

BackgroundNumerous animal models of intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration have been proposed in the literature. The rat caudal disc has been used in disc degeneration studies because of its low cost and simplicity. However, no consensus on the size of the needle to be used during this process has been reached, yet.ObjectivesThis study aims to select an optimal needle size to establish a reproducible IVD degeneration model.Study DesignThis is a randomized, experimental trial.SettingCell therapy and experimental surgery of musculoskeletal system LR18SP1 Lab, The Faculty of Medicine of Sfax, Tunisia.MethodsThe validity was verified by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), histological, and immunohistochemical examinations.ResultsThe MRI, histological, and immunohistochemical examinations showed that a disc that is perforated with a 21G needle degenerated acutely one week after the surgery, while a 29G needle puncture failed to develop disc degeneration. A 25G needle induced progressive degeneration in the IVD.LimitationsThis study was not very long (6 weeks).ConclusionsWe conclude that the size of the needle affects the onset and the progression of disc degeneration; a larger needle size leads to a more extended histological and radiographic degeneration within the IVD and in a relatively short time. Therefore, a 21G needle is an optimal choice to induce rapid degeneration in rats' caudal discs. However, the use of a 29G needle failed to establish a degenerative IVD model, which makes it ideal for IVD injection of drugs, plasmids, and growth factors. A 25G needle may be used to induce gradual degeneration.

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