The mechanism of spinal cord cavitation following spinal cord transection

Abstract

The authors report their findings by electron microscopy after microsurgical subpial spinal cord transection in dogs. After cord transection, conspicuous myelin microcysts are formed in a background of otherwise intact cord tisue at a distance of 1 to 2 mm from the cut end of the cord, both proximal and distal to the transection, Seen through the electron microscope, the microcysts iss a myelin sac distended by fluid under pressure, containing a swollen axon filled with excessive axoplasmic organelles; that is, a terminal club. Later the microcysts and terminal clubs rupture. The large spaces within the microcysts are opened to heretofore small extracellular spaces and the spinal cord tissues are destroyed. Thus, microcysts are precursors of large cavitites seen at the ends of transcreted cord stumps. The formation of microcysts and their subsequent rupture, which leads to cord cavitation, is interpreted as an inherent response of cord tissue to injury, and the result of an abortive attempt at cord regeneration.

Freeze-dried poly(d,l-lactic acid) macroporous guidance scaffolds impregnated with brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the transected adult rat thoracic spinal cord

“…An alternative mechanism for the neuroprotective effect of BDNF could be a BDNFregulated reduction of the number of terminal clubs formed at the distal axonal stumps in the rostral cord [52]. Terminal clubs are formed by continuous anterograde axonal transport after transection and sealing of the axon [53] and contain hydrolytic enzymes that contribute to nervous tissue loss [1,2,54]. This possible mechanism seems less likely because the amount of tissue loss was similar in all three implantation paradigms.…”

Syringomyelia as a sequel to traumatic paraplegia

“…The role of ischaemia in producing small areas of infarction followed by cavitation has been suggested (Mair & Druckman, 1953;Jellinger, 1967). Recently there have been reports dealing with cyst formation on a biochemical basis and there is evidence that lysosomes and other cellular enzymes play a role in cyst formation after trauma Kao, Chang & Bloodworth, 1977). Liquefaction in a prior haematoma seems most likely, occasional intracord haematomata occur both clinically and experimentally and certainly occur of sufficient size often enough in 2 per cent of cases.…”

Cellular and Cytoskeletal Dynamics Within Organ Cultures of Porcine Neuroretina

“…However, as shown in Fig. 7(C) and 10 the subretinal tissue, composed of spindle-shaped cells and hypertrophied ascending Mu È ller cell processes with high amounts of GFAP and vimentin, displayed highly similar characteristics to in vivo subretinal scarring (Erickson et al, , 1987Lewis et al, 1989) and to other astrocytic scars of the central nervous system (Kao and Chang, 1977;Kao, 1980). The authors described the cellular and cytoskeletal changes during in vitro culturing of porcine retina.…”