Effects of beraprost sodium on canine cauda equina function and blood flowusing a chronic spinal cord compression model

Changes in blood flow after chronic compression were observed in 19 dogs af ter 10 mmHg compression for I week before and I hour after the intravenous administration of one of three doses of beraprost sodium (BPS: 30 ng . kg(- 1) . min(-1). n = 7; 100 ng . kg(-1) . min(-1). n = 7, and 300 ng . kg(-1) . min(-1), n = 5). The speed of blood flow was calculated using a specially designed microscope equipped with a video camera. Dogs treated with BPS ha d lesser degrees of reduction in their nerve conduction velocity compared w ith controls. A vascular mechanism of injury likely explains why BPS-treate d dogs had a lesser degree of reduction in their nerve conduction velocitie s compared with the control population.