[The therapeutic effect of pulsed electric field on experimental spinal cord injury]

Pulsed electric field was used on 22 dogs with incomplete spinal cord injury for 8-10 weeks. Nerve cells, nerve fibres and astrocytes were identified by monoclonal antibody to neurofilament or glial fibrillary acidic protein. Morphometric analysis was used for axon counting and GFAP area ratio calculation. The result indicated that there were more axons in the treated group than in the control group at the distal part of injured site. The cellular distribution and patterns of the active and stable phases may be a pathological recovering mark of the injured spinal cord. We conclude that the pulsed electric field may promote sprouting and elongating of the regenerative nerve fibres and may also have some modulating effects on the interaction of growth cones and astrocytes. The pulsed electric field may be superior to the direct current field in some aspects.