Affiliation:
1. Postgraduate Program in Anesthesiology, Botucatu Medical School, Unesp - Univ. Estadual Paulista, Brazil
Abstract
Background: There is experimental evidence that dexmedetomidine has neuroprotective
effects. So, it could be expected that its intrathecal or epidural administration presents no
harm. However, whether dexmedetomidine is neurotoxic to the spinal cord remains to be fully
elucidated.
Objective: To evaluate the effect of preservative-free dexmedetomidine administered as a
subarachnoid single injection on the spinal cord and meninges of rabbits.
Study Design: Research article.
Setting: Experimental research laboratory.
Methods: Twenty young adult female rabbits, each weighing between 3200 and 4900 g,
and having a spine length between 36 and 40 cm, were divided by lot into 2 groups (G): 0.9%
saline in G1 and preservative-free dexmedetomidine in G2 (dose of 10 μg). After intravenous
anesthesia with ketamine and xylazine, the subarachnoid space was punctured at S1-S2
under ultrasound guidance, and a random 5 µl.cm-1 of spinal length (0.2 mL) of solution
(saline or dexmedetomidine) was injected. The animals remained in captivity for 21 days under
medical observation and were sacrificed by decapitation. The lumbosacral spinal cord portion
was removed for immunohistochemistry to assess the glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and
histology was assessed using hematoxylin and eosin (HE) stain.
Results: None of the animals had impaired motor function or decreased nociception during
the period of clinical observation. None of the animals from the control group showed signs
of injuries to meninges. In the dexmedetomidine group, however, 9 animals presented with
signs of meningeal injury. The main histological changes observed were areas with meningeal
thickening and lymphoplasmocitary infiltration in the pia-mater and arachnoid. Further
histological examination also revealed adherence areas among the pia and arachnoid. There
was no signal of injury in neural tissue in any animal of both groups.
Limitations: Evaluation of the possible analgesic effects of the intrathecal dexmedetomidine
was not performed.
Conclusion: On the basis of the present results, dexmedetomidine administered in the
subarachnoid space in a single dose of 10 µg is capable of producing histological changes over
the meninges of rabbits.
Key Words: Anesthesia, spinal; dexmedetomine; injections, spinal; spinal cord; rabbits
Publisher
American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians
Subject
Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine
Cited by
2 articles.
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