Experimental allergic encephalomyelitis: a neurourological study

To assess the neurourological disturbances produced by the perivascular inflammatory process in the acute phase of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis, we carried out a controlled study. Forty-six New Zealand male rabbits were inoculated with an encephalitogenic preparation. Twenty-seven of them developed neurological deficits in an average of 9.3 days postinoculation. A sample of 19 subjects was used as a control. The subjects were studied within 2 days after the manifestation of the first sign of encephalomyelitis. An average of eight successive cystosphincterograms were recorded. Their entire central nervous system was removed intact and suspended in 10% neutral buffered Formalin solution for 2 weeks, then cut into segments, embedded in paraffin, and finally stained with hematoxylin-eosin and Luxol Fast Blue. The results demonstrated a significant reduction of mean vesical capacity, maximum urethral pressure, and mean urethral pressure in the group with encephalomyelitis. Furthermore, we found a significant negative correlation between the average number of cellular perivascular infiltrates in the spinal sacral segment and urethral pressures. The results showed a significant negative correlation between supreamesencephalic inflammation and mean vesical capacity.