CHRONIC CATHETERIZATION OF THE EPIDURAL SPACE IN RABBITS - A MODEL FOR BEHAVIORAL AND HISTOPATHOLOGICAL STUDIES - EXAMINATION OF MEPTAZINOLNEUROTOXICITY
Jb. Madsen et al., CHRONIC CATHETERIZATION OF THE EPIDURAL SPACE IN RABBITS - A MODEL FOR BEHAVIORAL AND HISTOPATHOLOGICAL STUDIES - EXAMINATION OF MEPTAZINOLNEUROTOXICITY, Acta anaesthesiologica Scandinavica, 37(3), 1993, pp. 307-313
A technique of epidural catheterization in rabbits is described. Twelv
e albino rabbits received a totally implanted epidural catheter system
. The system was implanted surgically, and the functioning of the syst
em tested for a period of 3 months. X-rav examinations following epidu
ral contrast injections showed a distribution up to Th4 following 1.3
ml and Th8-9 following 1.0 and 1.25 ml. Epidural injection of lidocain
e throughout the study period proved the system to be functioning for
all 3 months. Another 12 rabbits were included for the neurotoxicologi
cal examinations following epidural catheterization, without any injec
tions (three rabbits), epidural injections of saline (four rabbits) an
d meptazinol (five rabbits) once a day for 14 days. Histopathological
examinations showed a fibrous cocoon, at the tip of the catheter, in a
ll rabbits. In the group of rabbits which did not receive any injectio
ns, the cocoon was slightly infiltrated with leukocytes and local depr
ession of the spinal cord was observed in one rabbit. In the saline-in
jected group this infiltration was more pronounced and in one rabbit i
t extended into the meninges. Three rabbits showed local depression of
the spinal cord and local myelopathy of the white matter in the area
adjacent to the cocoon. In the group of rabbits receiving meptazinol,
three out of five had local depression and myelopathy of the white mat
ter. In this group these findings were more pronounced. In two rabbits
the myelopathy extended transversely through the white matter into th
e grey matter of the spinal cord. The number of pathological changes i
n the group receiving meptazinol was significantly higher compared to
the control and placebo groups. The epidural catheterization technique
proved to be simple and reliable. Neurotoxicological examinations sho
wed local effects following catheterization and injection of saline. F
ollowing injection of meptazinol, a significant neurotoxicological pot
ential was shown.