A new device for local hypothermia of spinal cord

2003 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 14571384
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Orthopaedic surgery
• Research Institution: Ehime University
• Principal Investigator: OGATA Tadanori Ehime University, School of Medicine, Instructor, 医学部, 助手 (30291503)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): YAMAMOTO Haruyasu Ehime University, School of Medicine, Professor, 医学部, 教授 (10092446)
• Project Period (FY): 2002 – 2003
• Keywords: Spinal cord / Hypothermia / Motor function / Rat / Hyperalgesia

Research Abstract

Systemic mild hypothermia has been established as an effective therapy against heavy brain damages. However, this therapy can only be performed under general anesthesia and heavy side effects like as sepsis has been reported. Local hypothermia in brain is believed to be difficult because the brain is covered with bony shell(skull) which contains considerable blood flow. Spinal cord injury often occurred by dislocation of vertebral structure. Therefore, immediate surgical decompression is often required. In this procedure, the posterior bony shell of spinal cord(vertebral lamina) can be removed for the decompression of the cord. The idea of this study is development of the cooling device which can be put beside the spinal cord after removing vertebral lamina for local hypothermia. We produced the cooling device using electric system and the efficacy of this device was evaluated. Spinal cord damage in Wistar rat was produced by direct compression of thoracic spinal cord with 20-gram weight for 20 minutes, then the cooling device was attached beside the damaged cord. The motor and sensory function in hypothermia-treated animals was better than that in non-treated spinal cord damage animals.