TY - JOUR
T1 - Experimental Fetal Neurosurgery
T2 - The Normal Neurology of Neonatal Lambs and Abnormal Findings after in Utero Manipulation
AU - Huffman, Kathleen M.
AU - Timmel, Gregory B.
AU - Meuli-Simmen, Claudia
AU - Meuli, Martin
AU - Yingling, Charles D.
AU - Adzick, N. Scott
PY - 1996
Y1 - 1996
N2 - The growing interest in experimental fetal neurosurgery necessitates establishment of normal neurologic parameters for the neonatal animal. The aim of this study was to establish a standardized neurologic examination of the newborn lamb and to provide normal neurologic values so that various abnormalities of the nervous system could be evaluated systematically. Ten normal neonatal lambs and 27 neonatal lambs that underwent in utero neurosurgery were examined. The examination included general health, mental status, and a detailed neurologic evaluation. In addition, somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) were measured in all animals, and histologic examination was performed in the manipulated animals. The normal lambs only had minor variations in results of cranial nerve, reflex, and reaction tests that improved appreciably in the first 48 h of life. Sensorimotor sciatic paralysis was diagnosed in the lambs with intrauterine sciatic nerve transection (n = 10), and the animals with thoracic spinal cord transection (n = 8) had complete paraplegia. The lambs with in utero-induced spinal bifida (n = 8) had variable findings depending on the time point of fetal surgery and whether the lesions were subsequently repaired in utero. In all lambs, the clinical findings were consistent with the subsequently obtained electrophysiologic and histologic data. The examination system used is an efficient, accurate, and reliable tool to evaluate neurologic function in neonatal sheep. Furthermore, we provide normal neurologic values as important baseline information for studies that require neurologic evaluation of possibly abnormal neonatal sheep.
AB - The growing interest in experimental fetal neurosurgery necessitates establishment of normal neurologic parameters for the neonatal animal. The aim of this study was to establish a standardized neurologic examination of the newborn lamb and to provide normal neurologic values so that various abnormalities of the nervous system could be evaluated systematically. Ten normal neonatal lambs and 27 neonatal lambs that underwent in utero neurosurgery were examined. The examination included general health, mental status, and a detailed neurologic evaluation. In addition, somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) were measured in all animals, and histologic examination was performed in the manipulated animals. The normal lambs only had minor variations in results of cranial nerve, reflex, and reaction tests that improved appreciably in the first 48 h of life. Sensorimotor sciatic paralysis was diagnosed in the lambs with intrauterine sciatic nerve transection (n = 10), and the animals with thoracic spinal cord transection (n = 8) had complete paraplegia. The lambs with in utero-induced spinal bifida (n = 8) had variable findings depending on the time point of fetal surgery and whether the lesions were subsequently repaired in utero. In all lambs, the clinical findings were consistent with the subsequently obtained electrophysiologic and histologic data. The examination system used is an efficient, accurate, and reliable tool to evaluate neurologic function in neonatal sheep. Furthermore, we provide normal neurologic values as important baseline information for studies that require neurologic evaluation of possibly abnormal neonatal sheep.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=2542621447&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=2542621447&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Article
C2 - 16457521
AN - SCOPUS:2542621447
SN - 1060-0558
VL - 35
SP - 53
EP - 56
JO - Contemporary Topics in Laboratory Animal Science
JF - Contemporary Topics in Laboratory Animal Science
IS - 1
ER -