Abstract：
BACKGROUND: Chronic compressive myelopathy (CCM) is a major cause of spinal cord disorders in the elderly, in which the spinal cord is compressed by bony or soft tissue structures. Although computed tomography myelography (CTM) has been clinically used for the diagnosis of CCM, a method of CTM in rodents remains to be developed.
METHODS: A 50 μl Hamilton syringe attached to a disposable needle was percutaneously inserted into the subarachnoid space (cisterna magna) between the occipital bone and C1 lamina in an anesthetized adult mouse, followed by the injection of contrast medium and CT imaging.
RESULTS: CTM clearly visualized the shape of the spinal cord of intact mice and tiptoe-walking Yoshimura (Twy) mice without any health issues.
CONCLUSIONS: Unlike histology, the current method functions in live mice, directly depicts the compressed spinal cord, and provides clinically related image information. Furthermore, the intrathecal administration of contrast medium through the percutaneous route makes CTM less invasive and takes less time than a conventional intrathecal injection method.
CONCLUSIONS: The CTM method used in the present study enables clear visualization of the shape of the dural sac and spinal cord and is useful when conducting experiments on CCM and other spinal diseases in rodents.
METHODS: A 50 μl Hamilton syringe attached to a disposable needle was percutaneously inserted into the subarachnoid space (cisterna magna) between the occipital bone and C1 lamina in an anesthetized adult mouse, followed by the injection of contrast medium and CT imaging.
RESULTS: CTM clearly visualized the shape of the spinal cord of intact mice and tiptoe-walking Yoshimura (Twy) mice without any health issues.
CONCLUSIONS: Unlike histology, the current method functions in live mice, directly depicts the compressed spinal cord, and provides clinically related image information. Furthermore, the intrathecal administration of contrast medium through the percutaneous route makes CTM less invasive and takes less time than a conventional intrathecal injection method.
CONCLUSIONS: The CTM method used in the present study enables clear visualization of the shape of the dural sac and spinal cord and is useful when conducting experiments on CCM and other spinal diseases in rodents.
摘要：
背景：慢性压迫性脊髓病（CCM）是老年人脊髓疾病的主要原因，其中脊髓被骨或软组织结构压缩。尽管计算机断层扫描脊髓造影（CTM）已在临床上用于CCM的诊断，啮齿动物的CTM方法仍有待开发。
方法：将固定在一次性针头上的50μlHamilton注射器经皮插入麻醉成年小鼠的枕骨和C1椎板之间的蛛网膜下腔（小脑池），然后注射造影剂和CT成像。
结果：CTM清楚地显示了完整小鼠和脚尖行走的吉村（Twy）小鼠的脊髓形状，没有任何健康问题。
结论：与组织学不同，目前的方法在活小鼠中起作用，直接描绘了压缩的脊髓，并提供临床相关图像信息。此外，与传统的鞘内注射方法相比，通过经皮途径鞘内注射造影剂使CTM的侵入性更小，花费的时间更少。
结论：本研究中使用的CTM方法可以清晰地显示硬膜囊和脊髓的形状，并且在进行啮齿动物的CCM和其他脊柱疾病的实验时很有用。
方法：将固定在一次性针头上的50μlHamilton注射器经皮插入麻醉成年小鼠的枕骨和C1椎板之间的蛛网膜下腔（小脑池），然后注射造影剂和CT成像。
结果：CTM清楚地显示了完整小鼠和脚尖行走的吉村（Twy）小鼠的脊髓形状，没有任何健康问题。
结论：与组织学不同，目前的方法在活小鼠中起作用，直接描绘了压缩的脊髓，并提供临床相关图像信息。此外，与传统的鞘内注射方法相比，通过经皮途径鞘内注射造影剂使CTM的侵入性更小，花费的时间更少。
结论：本研究中使用的CTM方法可以清晰地显示硬膜囊和脊髓的形状，并且在进行啮齿动物的CCM和其他脊柱疾病的实验时很有用。
