FIG. 2.

(A) Picture of the rat spine stabilizer. Note the shape of the two arms (one is fixed and the other adjustable), which provides excellent bone fixation. The three main components of the spine stabilizing device include a U-shaped steel channel to hold the animal, a fixed arm, and an adjustable arm. In this figure, the fixed arm is set in one of the cervical (C) grooves while the adjustable arm is not yet attached. For thoracic injuries, the thoracic (T) grooves are utilized. The animal is secured into the rat spine stabilizer by inserting the stainless steel arms of the stabilizer bilaterally on the facets of T8 and then locking the set screws. This device suspends the spine to prevent respiration and other movements from influencing the spine position. (B) The effectiveness of vertebral stabilization was studied on the NYU device that monitors the vertebral position and the spinal cord surface. Using the LISA spine stabilization device, a 12.5-g-cm injury did not cause bone movement and, after impact, the deformed spinal cord recoiled back to the original position (solid lines). However, attaching forceps to the spinous processes as the fixation method results in significant vertebral and spinal cord shift (dotted lines).