Assessment of spinal cord blood flow and function in sheep after anterolateral cervical interbody fusion in the presence of cord damage

• Published in: Spine (Philadelphia, Pa. 1976) Pa. 1976), 1994-03, Vol.19 (5), p.511-519
• Main Authors: CAIN, C. M. J, LANGSTON, P. G, WESTON, P. F, FRASER, R. D
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Cervical Vertebrae - surgery; Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory - physiology; Injuries of the limb. Injuries of the spine; Male; Medical sciences; Regional Blood Flow - physiology; Sheep; Spinal Cord - blood supply; Spinal Cord - physiology; Spinal Cord Injuries - complications; Spinal Cord Injuries - physiopathology; Spinal Fusion; Traumas. Diseases due to physical agents
• ISSN: 0362-2436; 1528-1159
• DOI: 10.1097/00007632-199403000-00004

The safety of an anterolateral cervical fusion, which facilitates stabilization without sacrifice of the anterior longitudinal ligament, recently has been brought into question. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of an anterolateral cervical fusion on spinal cord blood flow and motor and sensory-evoked potentials in the presence of an incomplete spinal cord injury. In 12 sheep, a spinal cord injury was produced by the rapid inflation of an extradural balloon catheter; six of the animals had a cervical fusion. There was no significant difference in spinal cord blood flow or evoked potential responses obtained from the sheep that had an anterolateral cervical fusion, compared with the sheep that did not. Based on these results, it seems unlikely that this surgery has an adverse effect on recovery from spinal cord injury in the absence of operative mishap.