title: Intramedullary pressure changes in rats after spinal cord injury.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objectives of this study were to explore the change of intramedullary pressure over time in rats after different degrees of spinal cord contusion injury and to verify the hypothesis that the more serious the injury, the higher the intramedullary pressure.
  
  
  METHODS
  The control group rats underwent laminectomy only, whereas the rats in the three experimental groups were subjected to mild, moderate or severe 10th thoracic cord (T10) contusion injury after laminectomy. In addition, an intramedullary pressure of T10 was measured by a Millar Mikro-Tip pressure catheter (Millar Incorporated Company, Houston, TX, USA) immediately in the control group or at different time points after injury in the experimental groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average intramedullary pressure of the rats in the control group was 6.88±1.67 mm Hg, whereas that of the rats in any injury group was significantly higher (P=0.000). There was statistical difference among the different time points in the mild or moderate injury group (P=0.007/0.017), but no in the severe (P=0.374). The curves of intramedullary pressure over time in the mild and moderate injury group were bimodal, peaking at 1 and 48 h after the injury. The intramedullary pressure after injury was positively correlated with the injury degree (r=0.438, P=0.000).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The intramedullary pressure of the rats increased after traumatic spinal cord injury. If the injury was not serious, the intramedullary pressure fluctuated with time and peaked at 1 and 48 h after injury. If the injury was serious, the intramedullary pressure remained high. The more serious the injury, the higher the intramedullary pressure.
authors.affiliation: Center of Neural Injury and Repair, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Department of Spinal and Neural Function Reconstruction, China Rehabilitation Research Center, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.affiliation: Center of Neural Injury and Repair, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Department of Spinal and Neural Function Reconstruction, China Rehabilitation Research Center, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Center of Neural Injury and Repair, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Department of Spinal and Neural Function Reconstruction, China Rehabilitation Research Center, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Center of Neural Injury and Repair, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Department of Spinal and Neural Function Reconstruction, China Rehabilitation Research Center, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Center of Neural Injury and Repair, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Department of Spinal and Neural Function Reconstruction, China Rehabilitation Research Center, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Center of Neural Injury and Repair, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Department of Spinal and Neural Function Reconstruction, China Rehabilitation Research Center, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Du
authors.affiliation: Center of Neural Injury and Repair, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Department of Spinal and Neural Function Reconstruction, China Rehabilitation Research Center, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.affiliation: Center of Neural Injury and Repair, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Department of Spinal and Neural Function Reconstruction, China Rehabilitation Research Center, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Center of Neural Injury and Repair, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Department of Spinal and Neural Function Reconstruction, China Rehabilitation Research Center, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015170:Cerebrospinal Fluid Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D007796:Laminectomy / Q000009:adverse effects; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013131:Spine / Q000473:pathology; D013997:Time Factors