Selective hypothermia: an experimental study on traumatic brain injury in rats.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the efficiency of selective hypothermia in the treatment of the traumatic brain injury in rats.


METHODS
After the trauma produced for the model of cortical impact, a small craniectomy in the right frontoparietal region was carried through; after the procedure the animals had been divided in two groups of 15 each. Group A, without treatment with hypothermia (control group) and group B, treated with selective hypothermia for a period to 5 to 6 hours. After this time all the animals were sacrificed, their brains had been removed and histopathological analysis was carried through.


RESULTS
Comparison between both groups was done using the counting of neurons injured for field. Counting in the control group n=15 had an average of 70.80 neurons injured for field against an average of 21.33 neurons injured for field in group B (submitted to the treatment with hypothermia), with n=15 also. The difference was statistically significant.


CONCLUSIONS
Based in the quantification of the neurons injured for field, the effectiveness of the treatment with selective hypothermia was demonstrated.
Dvilevicius
Amylcar Edemilson
AE
EPM, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Brazil. amylcar@uol.com.br
Prandini
Mirto Nelso
MN
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007036:Hypothermia, Induced / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000473:pathology; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
D018696:Neuroprotective Agents