The morphological effects of etidocaine HCl on the spinal cord of the sheep.

Abstract Four sheep received by spinal injection one ml of 2% etidocaine HCl in 5% glucose, and three received one ml of 5% glucose. One additional sheep served as an untreated control. The animals were sacrificed at 3, 7 or 28 days after the injection, and the spinal cords were removed, fixed in formalin, and submitted to gross and microscopic examination. The mean duration of sensory block in the hind limbs of those sheep that received the local anesthetic solution was 4.5 hours, and all four animals recovered completely from the anesthesia. Gross and microscopic examination of the spinal cords and roots revealed no histopathological changes attributable to the local anesthetic solution or vehicle.