title: Model for avulsion injury in the rat brachial plexus using passive acceleration.
abstract: We have developed an experimental model for brachial plexus injuries in the rat that closely simulates the characteristics of human injury. This model produces avulsion injuries in a noninvasive manner. A prototype apparatus was designed that allowed a force to be transmitted to a restrained limb by passive acceleration. Reproducible results were obtained in 32 rats. A significant correlation was found between the test weight and the number of roots avulsed (r = 0.92; P < 0.05). The amount of force also correlated to the pattern of avulsion injury: a 230-g weight produced either C6 (54%), C7 (15%), or C6 and C7 (31%) avulsions; a 330-g weight produced C6 (18%), C7 (9%), or C6 and C7 (73%) avulsions; a 530-g weight produced C5 through C8 (75%) or C6 through T1 (25%) avulsions. This model of brachial plexus injury may be useful to further our understanding of the cellular response to this incapacitating injury and to develop therapeutic strategies with behavioral correlates.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Louisiana State University Medical School, New Orleans, LA, USA.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Spinner
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khoobehi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kazmi
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Krumreich
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Kline
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Beuerman
mesh_terms: D000054:Acceleration; D000818:Animals; D001917:Brachial Plexus / Q000293:injuries*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015203:Reproducibility of Results