The Effects of Local Cooling on Canine Spinal Cord Blood Flow

The internal spinal cord blood flow was measured in dogs at the site of local cooling using hydrogen polarography. Blood flow decreased to 50% of the normothermic values during cooling of the cord to a central temperature of 16 degrees Celsius. Upon cessation of cooling internal blood flow rapidly returned to normal values. Implications of this finding for the treatment of spinal cord injury are discussed.