Efficacy of high dose amino acid solution on spinal cord injury induced by focal Nd:YAG laser irradiation

• Published in: Acta neurochirurgica Vol. 133; no. 1-2; pp. 73 - 79
• Main Authors: COLAK, A, NURLU, G, ACIKGÖZ, B, ÖZCAN, O. E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wien Springer 01-01-1995; New York, NY
• Subjects: Amino Acids - pharmacology; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Evoked Potentials, Motor - drug effects; Evoked Potentials, Motor - physiology; Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory - drug effects; Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory - physiology; Guinea Pigs; Lasers; Medical sciences; Miscellaneous; Nerve Regeneration - drug effects; Nerve Regeneration - physiology; Neuropharmacology; Paraplegia - physiopathology; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Reaction Time - drug effects; Reaction Time - physiology; Spinal Cord - drug effects; Spinal Cord - physiopathology; Spinal Cord Injuries - physiopathology; Synaptic Transmission - drug effects; Synaptic Transmission - physiology; Spinal cord; Treatment efficiency; YAG laser; Traumatology; Trauma; Pig; Vertebrata; Chemotherapy; Mammalia; Treatment; Aminoacid; Animal; Artiodactyla; Spinal cord disease; Ungulata; Solution
• ISSN: 0001-6268; 0942-0940
• DOI: 10.1007/BF01404952

In this experimental study, a neodymium:yttrium-aluminium-garnet (Nd:YAG) laser was used to induce highly reproducible focal spinal cord lesions in anaesthetized guinea pigs. The efficacy of high dose amino acid solution (HDAAS) on this injury is investigated. Experiments were performed on 36 animals divided into three groups; sham operated controls, laser irradiated surgical controls, and amino acid groups. Acute responses to injury were evaluated with somatosensory (SSEP) and motor evoked potentials (MEP) and functional recovery was assessed for 8 weeks using the inclined plane technique. In the laser irradiated surgical control group, MEP disappeared one hour after the laser injury, but SSEP revealed changes of amplitude and latency. In this group, the average value of the inclined plane at 24 hours after the laser application was 45.3 +/- 1.4 degrees. In the amino acid group, at the sixth hour of injury, MEP and SSEP changes improved with infusion of HDAAS for 4 hours. This improvement was statistically significant (for latency of SSEP U = 140 p < 0.05). Inclined plane value at 24 hours after the laser application was 65.5 +/- 1.2 degrees in this group. This study showed that application of Nd:YAG laser irradiation on the spinal cord induced spinal cord injury which presented as paraparesis, HDAAS may provide significant therapeutic protection in secondary damage following this injury and may have a potential role in the treatment of acute spinal cord injury.