title: Hyperbaric oxygen treatment in the experimental spinal cord injury model.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Spinal cord trauma is a major cause of mortality and morbidity. Although no known treatment for spinal cord injury exists, a limited number of effective treatment modalities and procedures are available that improve secondary injury. Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) treatment has been used to assist in neurologic recovery after cranial injury or ischemic stroke.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To report the findings on the effectiveness of HBO treatment on rats with experimental traumatic spinal cord injury. Improvement was evaluated through motor strength assessment and nitrite level assay testing.
  
  
  METHODS
  We randomly distributed 40 rats among 5 groups of 8 rats each: sham incurable trauma, induced trauma, HBO treatment begun at the 1st hour, HBO treatment begun at the 6th hour, and HBO treatment begun at the 24th hour.
  
  
  METHODS
  The HBO treatment was administered to rats in three of the groups and conducted in two 90-minute sessions, under an absolute atmospheric pressure of 2.4 at 100% oxygen for 5 days. In the motor strength evaluations, all the rats were observed during the inclined plane test and clinical motor examination on the first, third, and fifth days. In addition, the nitrite levels of spinal cord tissues on the sixth day were also studied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results from the inclined plane levels and motor strength test from all the three groups undergoing HBO treatment were higher than those from Group 2. It was also determined that early HBO treatment resulted in higher recovery rates (groups 3 and 4). The highest levels were seen in the group in which the HBO treatments were started in the first hour (Group 3). It was noted that nitrite levels of rats in the group exposed to trauma increased, compared with the sham group, but increased levels also diminished after HBO treatments. Again, the greatest decrease in nitrite levels was evident in the group where the HBO treatment was started the earliest (Group 3).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Prompt HBO treatment after trauma significantly contributed to the clinical, histopathologic, and biochemical recovery of the rats.
authors: Department of Neurosurgery, Tepecik Education and Training Hospital, 35110 Yenişehir, Konak, Izmir, Turkey. Electronic address: dronuryaman@yahoo.com.
authors: Onur
authors: O
authors: Yaman
authors: Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Aegean University, 35040 Bornova, Izmir, Turkey.
authors: Banu
authors: B
authors: Yaman
authors: Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment Center, 1587/1 Street No:1/D 35040 Bornova, Izmir, Turkey.
authors: Figen
authors: F
authors: Aydın
authors: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Celal Bayar, Manisa, Turkey.
authors: Ahmet
authors: A
authors: Var
authors: Department of Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Celal Bayar, 45030 Manisa, Turkey.
authors: Cüneyt
authors: C
authors: Temiz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006931:Hyperbaric Oxygenation / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D009573:Nitrites / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D020127:Recovery of Function; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D061665:Time-to-Treatment; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D009573:Nitrites
keywords: Experimental cord injury; Hyperbaric oxygen treatment; Nitrite; Rat; Secondary mechanisms; Spinal cord injury