Does ischemic preconditioning reduce spinal cord injury because of descending thoracic aortic occlusion?
OBJECTIVE: Ischemic preconditioning has been found to protect various organs from a subsequent longer ischemic insult. We investigated whether the late phase of ischemic preconditioning reduces spinal cord injury from occlusion of the descending thoracic aorta. METHODS: Twenty-four pigs (27 to 30 kg) were randomly divided in four groups: group I (n = 4) underwent a sham operation, group II (n = 4) underwent aortic occlusion for 20 minutes, group III (n = 8) underwent aortic occlusion for 35 minutes, and group IV (n = 8) underwent aortic occlusion for 20 minutes and, 48 hours later, aortic occlusion for 35 minutes. Aortic occlusion was accomplished with two balloon occlusion catheters placed fluoroscopically at T(6) to T(8) above the diaphragm and at the aortic bifurcation. Neurologic evaluation was performed by an independent observer according to Tarlov’s scale (0 to 4, with 4 as normal). The lower thoracic and lumbar spinal cords were harvested at 120 hours and examined histologicall
