Effect of methylprednisolone in compression trauma to the feline spinal cord

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Abstract
The effect of methylprednisolone sodium succinate on clinical recovery and tissue preservation was studied following compression trauma of the feline spinal cord. Cats were anesthetized with pentobarbital and injured by placing a 170-g weight on the spinal cord for 5 min. One h after injury the animals were given i.v. steroid (15 mg/kg per day) for 2 days in 3 divided doses, 15 mg/kg per day for 1 day i.m., 7.5 mg/kg per day i.m. for 3 days and 3.75 mg/kg per day i.m. for 3 days, for a total of 9 days. In a control group the animals were injured but untreated. At 60 days after injury the animals were sacrificed by perfusion fixation with 10% formalin. The spinal cord was removed and evaluated for a number of morphometric parameters, including percentage of spinal cord cross-sectional area containing the cavity (%area) and percentage of spinal cord volume occupied by the cavity (%volume). A clinical recovery score (recovery index) was devised to evaluate neurological recovery. Steroid-treated cats showed significantly greater recovery than the untreated controls. The spinal cord of treated cats displayed greater tissue preservation as measured by %area and %volume. Correlation coefficients comparing the recovery index with morphometric parameters revealed a negative correlation between cavity size and recovery. The data provide evidence for a beneficial effect of methylprednisolone in promoting recovery and preserving spinal cord tissue following blunt injury to the feline spinal cord.