Burned spinal cord in acidotic cerebrospinal fluid during subarachnoid hemorrhage: Experimental study.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the effect of carotid body ischemia-induced cerebrospinal fluid acidosis on spinal cord during subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). METHODS: Twenty-three hybrid rabbits were divided into three groups: control (n = 5), Sham (injected with 0.5 ml isotonic) (n = 6), and the SAH (n = 12) (injected with 0.5 ml autologous blood into the 4ventricle) and then monitored for 3 weeks. Cerebrospinal fluid pH and degenerated ependymal cell density and volume of cervical central canal were analyzed. RESULTS: The mean cervical central canal volumes, degenerated ependymal cells densities, and cerebrospinal pH values were 1.056 &#xb1; 0.053 mm-6 &#xb1; 2 per mm-7.342 &#xb1; 0.034, 1.321 &#xb1; 0.12 mm-35 &#xb1; 9 per mm-7.314 &#xb1; 0.056, and 1.743 &#xb1; 0.245 mm-159 &#xb1; 24 per mm-7.257 &#xb1; 0.049 in the Control, Sham, and SAH groups, respectively. The more degenerated carotid body neuron density induced decreased cerebrospinal fluid pH values (p < 0.0001) could result in the more ependymal cells desquamation (p < 0.0005) and central canal dilatation (p < 0.00001). CONCLUSION: Increased neurodegeneration of carotid bodies can reduce cause cerebrospinal fluid pH-induced ependymal cell degeneration and central canal dilatation following SAH.