Manganese enhanced magnetic resonance imaging in a contusion model of spinal cord injury in rats: correlation with motor function.
OBJECTIVE
Various models of spinal cord injury in rodents have been established, and also techniques for lesion quantification. Measurement of the extent of the underlying injury is essential for monitoring the reproducibility of the experimental injury and assessment of therapeutic effects. In this study, we tested manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MEMRI) for postmortem quantification of experimental spinal cord injury in rats.


METHODS
Twelve rats were subjected to contusion injuries at the 11th thoracic vertebra, followed by MnCl2 injections into the cisterna magna. After 3 days of observation, postmortem MEMRI-features were correlated with values of locomotion testing and histology.


RESULTS
MnCl2 yielded a strong contrast enhancement of the uninjured spinal cord, whereas no enhancement was observed at the injury site or caudally. Magnetic resonance imaging findings correlate closely with locomotor ratings.


CONCLUSIONS
MEMRI represents a reliable method for visualization and functional assessment of spinal cord integrity in rats.
Walder
Nadja
N
Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Experimental and Clinical Traumatology, Research Center of the AUVA, Vienna, Austria.
Petter-Puchner
Alexander H
AH
Brejnikow
Mika
M
Redl
Heinz
H
Essig
Marco
M
Stieltjes
Bram
B
D000818:Animals; D002712:Chlorides; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D017895:Manganese Compounds; D009043:Motor Activity; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000473:pathology; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure
D002712:Chlorides; D003287:Contrast Media; D017895:Manganese Compounds; C025340:manganese chloride