Protection against ischemic spinal cord injury: one-shot perfusion cooling and percutaneous topical cooling

We investigated the protective effect of two methods of hypothermia against ischemic spinal cord injury: one-shot perfusion cooling and percutaneous topical cooling.

Twenty-five rabbits were divided into five equal groups. The abdominal aorta was isolated proximally by a vascular clamp and distally by an inflated balloon catheter for 60 minutes. Group I served as control. In groups II (2.5 ml/min) and III (5.0 ml/min), hypothermic lactated Ringer's solution was infused for 3 minutes from the distal end of the catheter. Ice blocks were placed behind the backs of rabbits 30 minutes before ischemia in group IV. Group V underwent the procedures combined with those in groups II and IV (infusion of hypothermic solution plus placement of ice blocks). Another 15 rabbits underwent laminectomy at the L2 or L3 level. A temperature probe was inserted into the spinal cord to monitor cord temperature continuously during the procedures in all five groups (three rabbits per group).

Neurologic status on the second postoperative day in groups IV and V was significantly superior to that in group I (p < 0.01), but the neurologic status of groups II and III did not differ significantly from the neurologic status of group I. The spinal cord temperature in groups II and III dropped rapidly with the infusion, but it rose again quickly. In contrast, the spinal cord was kept sufficiently hypothermic during ischemia in groups IV and V.

We concluded that the percutaneous cooling method can keep the spinal cord sufficiently hypothermic during ischemia to lead to a significantly superior neurologic outcome.