OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of methylprednisolone used prior to spinal injury, both in relation to possible beneficial effects and to possible associated complications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study subjects were 32 Wister rats, divided into 4 groups. Two groups received drugs A (placebo) and B (methylprednisolone) immediately after the injury. Another 2 groups received the same drugs 4 hours before the injury. They were all evaluated over a period of 28 days to verify locomotor function and associated complications. RESULTS: The 4 groups were compared in terms of weight and age. No statistically significant difference was found between the study groups in relation to mean weight and age. In the comparison of intercurrences among the 4 groups a statistically significant difference was found in deaths (p = 0.047), where the Drug B T-0 group exhibited a significantly lower proportion of deaths (0%) than that found in the Drug B T-4 group (55.6%). There was no statistical difference among these groups in terms of motor and complication rates (p > 0.05 in all the comparisons). CONCLUSIONS: the animals treated with methylprednisolone four hours before the injury trauma presented a significantly higher number of deaths than the rats treated with the same drug after the injury.
Spinal cord; Methylprednisolone; Rats Wistar
