title: Neuropathological changes in vibration injury: an experimental study.
abstract: Vibration syndrome, a clinical condition arising from chronic use of vibrating tools, is associated with a spectrum of neurovascular symptoms. To date, only its vascular pathology has been extensively studied; we sought to determine what direct neurologic injury, if any, is caused by vibration. Hindlimbs of anesthetized rats were affixed to a vibrating platform 4 h a day for 7 days. Study animals were vibrated with set parameters for frequency, acceleration, velocity, and amplitude; control animals were not vibrated. On day 7, nerves were studied by light and electron microscopy. While light microscopy showed minimal histologic differences between vibrated (n=12) and control (n=12) nerves, electron microscopic changes were dramatic. Splitting of the myelin sheath and axonal damage (e.g., myelin balls and "finger ring") were consistently seen in both myelinated and nonmyelinated axons. Despite relatively short vibration, definite pathology was demonstrated, suggesting that vibration syndrome has a direct neurologic component.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA. hmatloub@mcw.edu
authors.forename: Hani S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Matloub
authors.forename: Ji-Geng
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Ramachandra B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Kolachalam
authors.forename: Lin-Ling
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: James R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Sanger
authors.forename: Danny A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Riley
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006614:Hindlimb; D008297:Male; D059348:Peripheral Nerve Injuries; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014732:Vibration / Q000009:adverse effects*