Experimental contusion of spinal cord

In 34 rabbits with intensive acute spinal trauma caused by an impact, 125I-labelled human albumin (IHSA) was i.v. administered before injury and the animals were killed after 3 and 24 hours. In another series of experiments, IHSA was administered after injury, i.e., one hour before killing the animals, if they survived, and after 3, 24 and 48 hours. The radioactivity was measured in 1 cm long portions of the spinal cord and compared with serum values. The outflow of plasma from blood vessels was restricted to the site of the injury proper and declined with the period of survival. Exudation was minimal, but still present 48 hours after injury. From this site, as revealed by administration of IHSA before injury, the vasogenic oedema was propagated longitudinally by the spine to neighbouring segments. After 24 hours it proceeded further than after 3 hours. This investigation confirms and supplements former findings pertaining to the microscopic evaluation of spinal trauma after administration of Evans blue. Radioisotope labelled albumin revealed more sensitively the presence of albumin in tissue than Evans blue. (author)