Ultrasound-based anatomical measurements following a unilateral C5 contusion injury in female Long Evans rats

STUDY PURPOSE: Spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to significant perturbations in blood flow in and around the injury epicenter. Over time, these impairments can lead to ischemia and cell death. The purpose of this study is to use intravital contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging to examine the evaluation of the unilateral cervical SCI using longitudinal imaging to quantify anatomical and hemodynamic changes in vivo through the entire spinal parenchyma. DATA COLLECTED: Here, we used ultrasound imaging to visualize and quantify subacute injury expansion (through 72 hours post-injury) in a rodent cervical contusion model. We collected B-mode and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) images at baseline, acutely after injury and at 4, 24 or 72 hours post injury (hpi) in three cohorts of animals. In this data set, spinal cord volume, hematoma volume, central sucal artery tortuorsity, area of perfusion deficit and direction of perfusion deficit expansion are included. We found a significant increase in hematoma size over the 72 hour window of examination (1.86±0.17-fold change from acute, p < 0.05), as well as in the areas of ischemic deficits observed at 24 hours post-injury (2.24±0.27-fold, p < 0.05). We also noted significant deformation of the central sulcal artery nearest to the lesion site. In conjunction, we observed significant hyperemia in all tissue regions surrounding the injury site, except for the ipsilesional gray matter. DATA USAGE NOTES: