Abstract
Neurological degeneration can occur after compression of the spinal cord. It is widely accepted that spinal cord compression leads to ischemic lesions and ultimately neurological dysfunction due to a narrowed spinal canal. Therefore, an in-depth understanding of the pathogenesis of spinal cord compression injury is required to help develop effective clinical interventions. In the present study, we propose a new method of quantitative 3D micro-CT to observe microvascular events in a chronic spinal cord compression rat model. A total of 36 rats were divided into two groups: sham control group (n = 12) and compressive spinal cord injury group (n = 24). Rats were scarified at four weeks after surgery. In each group, CD34 micro-vessel immunohistochemical staining was performed in half of the animals, while micro-CT scanning was performed in the other half. Microvessel density (MVD) was measured after immunohistochemical staining, while the vascular index (VI) was measured in 3D micro-CT. In comparison with sham control, abnormal somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) can be seen in all 24 cases of the compression group, and VI shows the amount of microvessels reduced consistently and significantly (p < 0.01). A significant correlation is also found between MVD and VI (r = 0.95, p < 0.01). These data suggest that quantitative 3D micro-CT is a sensitive and promising tool for investigating microvascular changes during chronic compressive spinal cord injury.
Highlights
Chronic cervical spinal cord compression is a common pathological scenario
These results differ from the typical features of cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) patients, where the classic clinical symptoms of CSM involve pyramidal tract damage syndrome caused by chronic spinal cord compression
Injury to the spinal cord surface and intramedullary microvessels is likely to be an important component of the pathogenesis of chronic spinal cord compression myelopathy, while the anterior spinal artery is an important source of blood supply for the spinal cord
Summary
Chronic cervical spinal cord compression is a common pathological scenario. For example, cervical disc herniation [1], ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) [2] and intraspinal tumors [3] can lead to chronic cervical spinal cord compression, which will cause neurological dysfunction and seriously affect patients’ quality of life [4]. Used traditional methods for detecting microvascular changes in the spinal cord include serial tissue sectioning [6], immunohistochemical staining of blood vessels [7] and thick tissue section angiography methods [8]. Disadvantages of these techniques include cumbersome procedures, inability to perform imaging of the entire spinal microvascular network and inaccurate quantitative analysis. We compared the efficacy of three-dimensional micro-CT imaging versus CD34 immunohistochemical study for quantitatively assessing spinal microvascular changes in a rat model of chronic spinal cord compression
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