title: Morphological study on the pressure ulcer-like dermal lesions formed in the rat heel skin after transection of the sciatic nerves.
abstract: Due to transection of bilateral sciatic nerves, pressure ulcer-like dermal lesion occurred in the hairy skin covering of the heel skin in almost all rats. In the present study, chronological changes of the rat heel skin after the transection were morphologically and immunohistochemically examined. In the heel skin, redness and swelling began by 3days after the operation, and open wound formed by 17days. At the redness and swelling stage, edema extensively occurred in the dermis. At the thickening stage, the epidermis at the pressed site became transiently thicker, and at the whitening stage, rapidly thinner. At these stages, the epidermis in the skin surrounding the pressed site became gradually thicker. At the yellow scar stage, the skin was covered only by necrotic tissues and horny layer. These layers were scratched during walking and turning, and the yellow scar stage became the open wound stage. Inflammatory reaction began at the thickening stage, and at the yellow scar and open wound stages, necrosis, infiltration of inflammatory cells and dilation of small blood vessels were observed. These morphological features are quite similar to those in the human pressure ulcer. These findings suggest that these dermal injuries could compare the human pressure ulcer for medical treatment and depressurization in future study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Kobe University Graduate School of Health Sciences, 7-10-2 Tomogaoka, Sumaku, Kobe, 654-0142, Japan.
authors.forename: Daijiro
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Haba
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Health Science, Kobe University School of Medicine, 7-10-2 Tomogaoka, Sumaku, Kobe, 654-0142, Japan.
authors.forename: Chie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Minami
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Health Science, Kobe University School of Medicine, 7-10-2 Tomogaoka, Sumaku, Kobe, 654-0142, Japan.
authors.forename: Miki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miyagawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Kobe University Graduate School of Health Sciences, 7-10-2 Tomogaoka, Sumaku, Kobe, 654-0142, Japan. Electronic address: arakawa@people.kobe-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Takamitsu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Arakawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Kobe University Graduate School of Health Sciences, 7-10-2 Tomogaoka, Sumaku, Kobe, 654-0142, Japan.
authors.forename: Akinori
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Miki
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003714:Denervation; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018450:Disease Progression; D006614:Hindlimb / Q000098:blood supply / Q000294:innervation / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D003668:Pressure Ulcer / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000098:blood supply / Q000293:injuries*; D012867:Skin / Q000098:blood supply / Q000294:innervation / Q000473:pathology*
keywords: Chronic wound; Denervation; Diabetes; Pathogenesis; Physiotherapy; Rat