Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 2, 2026
Contusion Spinal Cord Injury via a Microsurgical Laminectomy in the Regenerative Axolotl
Published on: October 20, 2019
Rapid, postmortem 9.4 T MRI of spinal cord injury: correlation with histology and survival times
Felix Scholtes1, Rémy Phan-Ba, Evi Theunissen
1Centre for Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology (CNCM), Department of Neuroanatomy, University of Liège, Sart Tilman B36, 4000 Liège, Belgium. Felix.Scholtes@ulg.ac.be
Abstract:
High field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been increasingly used to assess experimental spinal cord injury (SCI). In the present investigation, after partial spinal cord injury and excision of the whole spine, pathological changes of the spinal cord were studied in spinal cord-spine blocks, from the acute to the chronic state (24 h to 5 months). Using proton density (PD) weighted imaging parameters at a magnetic field strength of 9.4 tesla (T), acquisition times ranging from <1 to 10 h per specimen were used. High in-plane pixel resolution (68 and 38 microm, respectively) was obtained, as well as high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), which is important for optimal contrast settings. The quality of the resulting MR images was demonstrated by comparison with histology. The cord and the lesion were shown in their anatomical surroundings, detecting cord swelling in the acute phase (24 h to 1 week) and cord atrophy at the chronic stage. Haemorrhage was detected as hypo-intense signal. Oedema, necrosis and scarring were hyper-intense but could not be distinguished. Histology confirmed that the anatomical delimitation of the lesion extent by MRI was precise, both with high and moderate resolution. The present investigation thus demonstrates the precision of spinal cord MRI at different survival delays after compressive partial SCI and establishes efficient imaging parameters for postmortem PD MRI.
Insights
High-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) precisely maps spinal cord injury (SCI) pathology. This study establishes efficient postmortem MRI parameters for detailed lesion assessment in preclinical research.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Imaging
- Neuroscience
- Veterinary Pathology
Background:
- High-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is crucial for studying experimental spinal cord injury (SCI).
- Assessing pathological changes in SCI requires detailed imaging from acute to chronic stages.
- Postmortem analysis offers a unique window into SCI progression.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the precision of high-field MRI in characterizing pathological changes of the spinal cord after experimental SCI.
- To establish efficient imaging parameters for postmortem proton density (PD)-weighted MRI of spinal cord-spine blocks.
- To correlate MRI findings with histological data for validation.
Main Methods:
- Partial spinal cord injury (SCI) was induced, followed by spinal cord-spine block excision.
- Postmortem MRI was performed at 9.4 tesla using proton density (PD)-weighted imaging.
- High in-plane pixel resolution and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) were achieved.
- Acquisition times ranged from <1 to 10 hours per specimen.
Main Results:
- MRI accurately depicted spinal cord swelling in the acute phase and atrophy in the chronic stage.
- Hemorrhage was identified as hypointense signals.
- Edema, necrosis, and scarring appeared as hyperintense signals but were not individually distinguishable.
- Histology confirmed the precise anatomical delimitation of lesion extent by MRI.
Conclusions:
- Postmortem high-field MRI precisely delineates spinal cord lesions after experimental SCI.
- Efficient imaging parameters were established for postmortem PD-weighted MRI.
- This technique provides valuable insights into SCI pathophysiology at various time points.
