RADIOFREQUENCY AS A LESIONING MODEL IN EXPERIMENTAL SPINAL-CORD INJURY

Many models have been developed to study spinal cord injury (SCI), suc h as cryogenlc lesioning, hot water injury, scalpel lesioning, compres sive trauma using clips, electromechanical devices, extradural cuffs, and weight-drop techniques. In this study, the radiofrequency (RF) les ion was used for inducing an experimental SCI in cats. The neuropathol ogy was correlated with the MRI. In this model, 4 cats were injured at the thoracic spinal cord (T11-T12) with a lesion of 65 degrees C for 1 min using a micromanipulated penetrating RF electrode. The MRI of th e lesions after 2, 3, 5, and 6 weeks post-injury as well as the correl ative histological changes were obtained. The RF-induced lesion was di screte with little spreading across the spinal cord. There was a good correlation between the histopathology findings and the MRI. We conclu de that experimental RF lesioning of the spinal cord can produce a con sistent lesion with predictable histopathological changes in experimen tal animals. A 65 degrees C injury for 1 min induced a clinical pictur e of an incomplete SCI. The RF lesioning should be considered as a new model to study SCI, particularly those with a penetrating component.