[Hokkaido igaku zasshi] The Hokkaido journal of medical science
-
Hokkaido Igaku Zasshi · Mar 1994
[Effects of megadose methylprednisolone therapy on acute spinal cord injury in rats].
Present study was performed to confirm the protective effect of megadose methylprednisolone therapy for the posttraumatic spinal cord ischemia. Seventeen Wistar-King rats weighing 215-330 g were divided into four groups which were normal group (n = 5), injury group treated by saline (control group, n = 4), treated by methylprednisolone (MP) 30 mg/kg (n = 4) and treated by MP 60 mg/kg (n = 4). Animals were anesthetized aspirating 1.5% Halothane and made epidural clipping injury (140 g for 3 seconds) at Th7/8 after laminectomy of Th7,8. ⋯ SCBF of the white matter adjacent to the injury site was not decreased, but preserved within normal range or rather slightly hyperemic. These condition may cause the secondary damage in the adjacent spinal cord. It is considered that megadose of methylprednisolone, if it is effective for the spinal cord injury, would suppress the SCBF of white matter of adjacent to the injury site at the acute phase and prevent the progression of secondary damage.