-
Clinical history of sudden and/or progressive paralysis warrants the examination of the spinal cord, nerve plexus, and associated ganglia
-
Remove the entire spinal column by sawing off all attachments of the ribs at either side and muscles
-
Cut the spine from the rest of the carcass at the articulation of the last lumbar and first sacral vertebra
-
Remove as much muscles as possible
-
Note for evidence of fracture and/or dislocations
-
The spinal cord should be removed by opening the spinal column
-
Two approaches may be used to do this. First, the spinal column may be split through the aid of a saw cutting about one third of the vertebra and second by removal of the dorsal arches
-
Splitting the vertebral column enables the examination of the intervertebral discs and vertebral canal
-
To do this, hold the spinal column with one hand pressing it on the far end of the table
-
With one or three vertebral bodies extended beyond the edge of the table, carefully saw the vertebral body longitudinally
-
Keep the blade of the saw positioned medially to the spinous process cutting the dorsal arches and the vertebral body at one side
-
Complete the cuts until the whole length of the spinal column is split open adjusting the extended portion one or two vertebral bodies at a time as cuts are made
-
While sawing, be careful not to damage the enclosed spinal cord
-
Once the spinal column is split opened, mark the specific regions (cervical, thoracic, and lumbar regions) using pins or by loosely tying pieces of twine at each division
-
Lift the cord by grasping the spinal meninges and severe all attachments
-
The second alternate method employs the removal of the dorsal arches
-
This may be accomplished using a chisel cutting the arch of each vertebral body
-
For large animals however, it may be convenient to detach first the individual vertebral bodies and saw off the dorsal arches
-
The spinal cord, like the brain is best examined after fixation in 10% formalin solution.
-
After fixation, remove the meningeal covering
-
Hold the cord vertically on one hand
-
Gently palpate the cord passing it between the thumb and the index finger
-
Note for pits and depressions, and difference in texture
-
Examine also the vertebral canal and note for narrowing of the lumen, evidence of fractures, and character of the intervertebral discs
-
Evidence of disc degeneration includes dryness and changes in the colour of the disc (from yellowish to greenish) with or without apparent protrusion into the spinal canal
Participants