Burned spinal cord in acidotic cerebrospinal fluid during subarachnoid hemorrhage: Experimental study.

OBJECTIVE We investigated the effect of carotid body ischemia-induced cerebrospinal fluid acidosis on spinal cord during subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). METHODS Twenty-three hybrid rabbits were divided into three groups: control (n = 5), Sham (injected with 0.5 ml isotonic) (n = 6), and the SAH (n = 12) (injected with 0.5 ml autologous blood into the 4th ventricle) and then monitored for 3 weeks. Cerebrospinal fluid pH and degenerated ependymal cell density and volume of cervical central canal were analyzed. RESULTS The mean cervical central canal volumes, degenerated ependymal cells densities, and cerebrospinal pH values were 1.056 ± 0.053 mm3-6 ± 2 per mm2-7.342 ± 0.034, 1.321 ± 0.12 mm3-35 ± 9 per mm2-7.314 ± 0.056, and 1.743 ± 0.245 mm3-159 ± 24 per mm2-7.257 ± 0.049 in the Control, Sham, and SAH groups, respectively. The more degenerated carotid body neuron density induced decreased cerebrospinal fluid pH values (p < 0.0001) could result in the more ependymal cells desquamation (p < 0.0005) and central canal dilatation (p < 0.00001). CONCLUSION Increased neurodegeneration of carotid bodies can reduce cause cerebrospinal fluid pH-induced ependymal cell degeneration and central canal dilatation following SAH.