Oxygenated fluorocarbon perfusion as treatment of acute spinal cord compression injury in dogs

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Abstract
Experiments were conducted to determine the therapeutic value of subarachnoid perfusion of the traumatized dog spinal cord with the fluorocarbon, Fluosol-DA (20%). Control dogs without lesions, but which had durotomy, subarachnoid catheter placement and saline irrigation for 4 h had no residual neurological deficit. A series of 41 dogs underwent an acute spinal cord compression using an epidural balloon inflated to a pressure of 160 mm Hg and maintained for 1 h. Treatment included durotomy only (11 dogs), durotomy with saline perfusion at room temperature (15 dogs) and durotomy with oxygenated Fluosol-DA perfusion at room temperature (15 dogs). The dogs underwent daily grading of neurological status for a 60-day period. Dogs undergoing perfusion of the spinal cord with either saline or oxygenated Fluosol-DA had significantly improved motor recovery compared with dogs undergoing durotomy only. Perfusion with oxygenated Fluosol-DA resulted in significantly better motor recovery than did perfusion with normal saline. Microscopic examination of the traumatized spinal cords failed to reveal a substantial difference between the 3 groups. Dogs with better functional results tended to have less destruction of the white matter. Hemorrhagic necrosis of the central gray matter was consistently observed in all traumatized spinal cords.