Changes of the Electrophysiological Study in Dogs with Acute Spinal Cord Injury

Severe spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to complete loss of sensory and motor functions. This study describes a method for inducing spinal cord injuries in dogs by using balloon catheters via laminectomy and the subsequent changes in the electrophysiological response. Compression for 3 days with a balloon catheter is a safe, reproducible, and reliable method for evaluating electrophysiological changes in a dog model of complete spinal cord injury.

• 1
  Open field testing yielded locomotor scores of 0 or 1 for dogs subjected to compression for 3 days, with no obvious improvement and flaccid tonus in hindlimbs.
• 2
  Motor functions of dogs that had experienced compression for 1 or 2 days were variable, and all dogs showed spastic tonus in their hindlimbs.
• 3
  In dogs subjected to compression for 3 days, electrically stimulated MEPs for the hindlimbs showed a significant amplitude reduction and hindlimb movements were not evoked by magnetic stimulation.