The effect of electrical stimulation on colonic transit following spinal cord injury in cats

The effect of direct electrical stimulation on colinic transit and manometr ic recordings following spinal cord injury were assessed in five adult male cats. Intra-colonic catheters were surgically placed, stimulating electrod es were sutured to the colonic serosa and a laminectomy with spinal cord cl amping at a T4 level was done to induce spinal cord injury (SCI). Twenty ra diopaque markers were inserted through an intra-colonic catheter located 1 cm distal to the cecum and were monitored with daily fluoroscopy as a measu re of colonic transit. Transit measurements were compared before SCI, after SCI and after SCI with electrical stimulation of 40 pps, 1 ms, and 0-50 mA . Colonic transit following SCI was significantly prolonged (P<0.05) when c ompared to the transit before SCI. Electrical stimulation following SCI imp roved colonic transit to values not significantly different from those befo re SCI. Spontaneous colonic phasic motor activity was similar both before a nd after SCI. Manometric defection patterns were also observed to be simila r before SCI and after SCI with electrical stimulation. Based on our scorin g criteria, the most frequent response to electrical stimulation was an abd ominal contraction. These findings demonstrate that colonic transit is prol onged following SCI and that direct electrical stimulation of the colon fol lowing SCI improves colonic transit in an animal model.