Experimental observations on spinal cord injury produced by electrifying the vessels of the cord in dogs

To make the ischemic effect on spinal cord clear, different vessels of the cord of 38 dogs, in 5 groups, were electrically cauterized individually or in combination. The animals in each group were sacrificed in due time periods, and the pathology of corresponding segment of each cord was observed grossly and under electron as well as light microscopes. The findings were described in this paper. As a consequence, the dogs in each group manifested paraplegia varying in degrees. However, dogs with the anterior cord artery and unilateral radicular artery, or both the anterior and posterior cord arteries cauterized developed irreversible, complete paraplegia. Cauterization of the anterior cord artery, or the posterior cord artery and unilateral radicular artery, or the radicular artery on both sides, gave rise to reversible, incomplete paraplegia. Anatomy of vessels of the spinal cord of other 9 dogs were dissected and studied. Their presence and distribution were cited and referred to the discussion about the effect of ischemia induced by electrifying them individually or in combination.