Early Assessment of Neurologic Deficits in the Fluid Percussion Model of Brain Injury

Abstract

This study was designed to quantify the early neurologic effects of brain injury elicited by fluid percussion to the dura of cats. Propofol was used for surgical anesthesia because recovery in normal animals from an intravenous infusion was found to be nearly complete within 2 h of cessation and absolutely complete by 4 h. In addition, a cat coma scale (CCS) was developed that reflects normal (CCS, 14) to moribund (CCS, 3) behavior. The CCS values at 6 h were compared with the force of injury expressed in atmospheres (atm), maximum blood pressure change, and gross neuropathology to ascertain which parameter might best account for the behavior observed after brain injury. The results showed that decreasing neurologic scores correlated well with increasing atmospheres of injury (Pearson's r 0.71, p < 0.001) but not with the rise in systolic blood pressure caused by the trauma (n = 29). Coma scores did correlate with the cross sectional area of ponto-mesencephalic lesions (Pearson's r = 0.51, p < 0.01) and proved to be significantly different in animals grouped according to lesion size of less or more than 3 mm in length (t test, p < 0.01). Thus the CCS and the pharmacologic properties of propofol permit an early analysis of the neurologic status in the feline fluid percussion model of brain injury. These procedures could facilitate the evaluation of early biochemical changes that affect behavior and of therapies designed to ameliorate the deleterious effects of head injury.

Contribution of estrogen receptors alpha and beta in the brain response to traumatic brain injury

“…2,19,22 According to VCS criteria, 21 higher scores indicate better neurological outcomes, and lower scores indicate worse neurological outcomes. In the present study, the outcomes were measured 1 hour before trauma induction and immediately after trauma (Time 0), and measurements were continued at 1, 4, and 24 hours posttrauma.…”

Quantification of brain edema and hemorrhage by MRI after experimental traumatic brain injury in rabbits predicts subsequent functional outcome

“…The standardized veterinary coma scale (VCS) ( Table 1) [25,26] was used in neurological examinations that were performed on day 1 and 30 days after TBI by a researcher who was blinded to the groups. We used the neurological examination grading system (NEG) ( Table 2) [27,28] on day 1 and 30 days after injury to acquire the neuromotor function score.…”

The Impact of Hypercarbia on the Evolution of Brain Injury in a Porcine Model of Traumatic Brain Injury and Systemic Hemorrhage

“…(b) In pilot experiments, animals have fully recovered from anesthesia within 1 h. Therefore, sedation was discontinued 1 h after resuscitation, and Veterinary Coma Scores (see Table 3), similar to the Glascow Coma Score, obtained 1 and 2 h later (5 h after injury). The coma scale used was devised and validated in cats, in which it was shown that lower scores correlated with larger lesion size and higher magnitude of fluid percussion (Hilton et al, 1993). The highest possible coma score is 15, the lowest 3.…”

“…Flaccid to stimuli Adapted from Hilton et al (1993). cator of ischemic episodes (De Deyne et al, 1996;Sikes and Segal, 1994;Cruz, 1998;Unterberg et al, 1997;Kiening et al, 1997).…”