FUNCTIONAL OUTCOME AFTER EXPERIMENTAL CAUDA-EQUINA COMPRESSION

Spinal nerve roots often sustain compression injuries, We used a Wista r rat model of the cauda equina syndrome to investigate such injuries. Rapid transient compression of the cauda equina was produced using a balloon catheter. The results were assessed by daily neurological exam ination and somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) recording before surg ery and ten weeks after decompression. Compression of the spinal nerve s induced changes in the SEP which persisted for up to ten weeks after decompression, but it had no effect on the final neurological outcome . Our study shows the importance of early surgical decompression for c auda equina syndrome.