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Updated: Mar 7, 2026
The Rabbit Blood-shunt Model for the Study of Acute and Late Sequelae of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: Technical Aspects
Published on: October 2, 2014
Ultrasound as a safe and reliable guidance for subarachnoid puncture in rabbits
Ivan Dias Fernandes Pereira1, Roberto Bezerra Vital2, Ronaldo Silva2
1PhD, Department of Anesthesiology, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Botucatu-SP, Brazil. Conception and design of the study.
Purpose::
To evaluate a model for studying the toxicity in nervous tissue and meninges using ultrasound to guide needle insertion into the subarachnoid space of rabbits, with the objective of avoiding injuries triggered by the puncture and by intraneural injection of solutions.
Methods::
Forty-five adult female rabbits were divided into 3 groups (G): G1 underwent subarachnoid puncture, G2 underwent subarachnoid injection of saline solution and G3 underwent subarachnoid injection of 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine. A needle was inserted into the S1-S2 subarachnoid space guided by ultrasound. The sensitivity and motility of the animals were evaluated for 3 days, after which the animals were sacrificed for removal of lumbar and sacral portions of the spinal cord for histological examination by light microscopy and immunohistochemistry.
Results::
All animals had motor function and pain sensitivity on the evaluation period. No animal had complication during or after the procedures.
Conclusion::
Ultrasound is a useful and safe method for the correct identification of the subarachnoid space of rabbits.
