Titanium mesh implantation—A method to stabilize the spine and protect the spinal cord following a multilevel laminectomy in the adult rat

• Published in: Journal of neuroscience methods 2005-08, Vol.147 (1), p.1-7
• Main Authors: Nieto, Jaime H., Hoang, Thao X., Warner, Elizabeth A., Franchini, Brett T., Westerlund, Ulf, Havton, Leif A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Biomechanical Phenomena; Disease Models, Animal; Female; Laminectomy - methods; Motoneuron; Paraplegia; Prostheses and Implants; Prosthesis Design; Prosthesis Implantation - instrumentation; Prosthesis Implantation - methods; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Spinal Cord Injuries - surgery; Spinal cord injury; Spine - surgery; Titanium; Trauma; Treatment Outcome
• ISSN: 0165-0270; 1872-678X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2004.09.031

The development of clinically relevant larger spinal cord injury models is in part limited by the possibility of a widened or multilevel laminectomy causing a spinal cord injury from an unstable spine or from compression of the spinal cord by adjacent soft tissues. In the adult rat, we have developed a method to protect the spinal cord and stabilize the spinal column using a titanium mesh implant following a bilateral, multilevel lumbar laminectomy. For this purpose, bilateral and expanded L1–4 laminectomies were performed with or without the use of a titanium mesh to protect the spinal cord and stabilize the spine. Without titanium mesh protection, the rats developed a severe paraparesis or paraplegia, urinary retention, gross anatomical signs of cord compression, and motoneuron loss. In the titanium mesh treatment group, the rats typically maintained a normal gait and lower urinary tract function, normal gross anatomical features of the spinal cord, and normal motoneuron counts. We propose that the use of a titanium mesh implant may assist in the development of clinically relevant larger spinal cord injury and repair models.