title: Radiofrequency as a lesioning model in experimental spinal cord injury.
abstract: Many models have been developed to study spinal cord injury (SCI), such as cryogenic lesioning, hot water injury, scalpel lesioning, compressive trauma using clips, electromechanical devices, extradural cuffs, and weight-drop techniques. In this study, the radiofrequency (RF) lesion was used for inducing an experimental SCI in cats. The neuropathology was correlated with the MRI. In this model, 4 cats were injured at the thoracic spinal cord (T11-T12) with a lesion of 65 degrees C for 1 min using a micromanipulated penetrating RF electrode. The MRI of the lesions after 2, 3, 5, and 6 weeks post-injury as well as the correlative histological changes were obtained. The RF-induced lesion was discrete with little spreading across the spinal cord. There was a good correlation between the histopathology findings and the MRI. We conclude that experimental RF lesioning of the spinal cord can produce a consistent lesion with predictable histopathological changes in experimental animals. A 65 degree C injury for 1 min induced a clinical picture of an incomplete SCI. The RF lesioning should be considered as a new model to study SCI, particularly those with a penetrating component.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurosurgery, University of Missouri-Columbia, 65212, USA.
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Haghighi
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Perez-Espejo
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rodriguez
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Clapper
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005073:Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006614:Hindlimb / Q000502:physiology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology; D010264:Paraplegia / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D011833:Radiation Injuries, Experimental / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011846:Radio Waves; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000473:pathology; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013997:Time Factors; D016138:Walking