title: Preventive effect of intrathecal paracetamol on spinal cord injury in rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Ischemic injury of the spinal cord during the surgical repair of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms might lead to paraplegia. Although a number of different mechanisms have been proposed, the exact cause of paraplegia has remained unknown, hampering the development of effective pharmacologic or other strategies for prevention of this condition. A number of studies suggested that cyclooxygenases (COX) contribute to neural breakdown; thus, COX inhibitors might reduce injury.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to assess the preventive effect of intrathecal (IT) pretreatment with paracetamol on spinal cord injury in a rat model.
  
  
  METHODS
  This experimental study was performed in Ataturk University Animal Research Laboratory Center, Erzurum, Turkey. Adult male Wistar rats were randomly allocated to three experimental groups (n = 6) to receive IT physiologic saline (controls), 50 µg of paracetamol, or 100 µg paracetamol one hour before induction of spinal cord ischemia. Six other rats were considered as the sham group. For the assessment of ischemic injury, motor functions of the hind limbs and histopathologic changes of the lumbar spinal cord were evaluated. Additional 20 rats were divided into two equal groups for the second part of the study where the survival rates were recorded in controls and in animals receiving 100 µg of paracetamol during the 28-day observation period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pretreatment with 100 µg of paracetamol resulted in a significant improvement in motor functions and histopathologic findings (P < 0.05). Despite a higher rate of survival in 100 µg of paracetamol group (70%) at day 28, the difference was not statistically significant in comparison with controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest a protective effect of pretreatment with IT paracetamol on ischemic spinal cord injury during thoracolumbar aortic aneurysm surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Faculty of Medicine, University of Erzincan, Erzincan, Turkey.
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sahin
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Erzincan, Erzincan, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ilyas
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sayar
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Erzincan University, Erzincan, Turkey.
authors.forename: Kemal
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Peker
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Mengucek Gazi Research and Training Hospital, Erzincan, Turkey.
authors.forename: Huriye
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gullu
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sutcu Imam, Kahramanmaras, Turkey.
authors.forename: Huseyin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yildiz
keywords: Ischemia; Paraplegia; Spinal Cord