İn this study, the biochemical and histopathological changes in the spinal cord after the experimental stretching were investigated.
İn tethered cord formed guinea plgs, hypoxantine and lipidperoxide levels were significantly increased show-ing us ischemic injury (p = 0.001 andp<0.005 respectively).
İn electronmicroscopic examination, besides the reversible changes like edema and destruction in gray-white matter junction, the irreversible changes like the scarcity of neurofilaments and destruction in the axons and dam-age in myeline sheats were observed.
Latency periods of SEP and MEP were significantly increased as their amplitude were significantly decreased. These changes showed us defective conduction in the motor and somatosensorial nerves. With 1.5 Tesla MRI the changes in the medulla spinalis could not be well visualized as the vertebral colon was too small.
We think that our animal model would be a guide for experimental tethered cord syndrome.
Keywords: Tethered cord syndrome, evoked potentials, free oxygen radicals.