ABSTRACT
Experimental brain injury models must generate similar injuries to those observed after human TBI. Regardless of the
19.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................................... 259 19.1.1 Fluid Percussion Injury Model ............................................................................................................................ 259
19.2 Materials .......................................................................................................................................................................... 260 19.2.1 Animals ............................................................................................................................................................... 260 19.2.2 Equipment ............................................................................................................................................................ 260
19.2.2.1 Injury Device ........................................................................................................................................ 260 19.2.2.2 Anesthesia ............................................................................................................................................. 261 19.2.2.3 Surgical Supplies .................................................................................................................................. 261 19.2.2.4 Surgical Instruments ............................................................................................................................. 261 19.2.2.5 Injury Hub ............................................................................................................................................. 262 19.2.2.6 Fluid Percussion Injury ......................................................................................................................... 262
19.3 Procedure ......................................................................................................................................................................... 264 19.3.1 Record Keeping ................................................................................................................................................... 264 19.3.2 General Preparation for Surgery and Injury ........................................................................................................ 264 19.3.3 Preparatory Surgery for Fluid Percussion Injury................................................................................................. 264
19.3.3.1 Preoperative Preparation ....................................................................................................................... 264 19.3.3.2 Rat Preparatory Surgery ....................................................................................................................... 264 19.3.3.3 Mouse Preparatory Surgery .................................................................................................................. 267
19.3.4 Fluid Percussion Injury ........................................................................................................................................ 269 19.3.4.1 Setup ..................................................................................................................................................... 269 19.3.4.2 Injury Procedure ................................................................................................................................... 269
19.4 Injury Outcome Assessment Techniques ......................................................................................................................... 270 19.4.1 Neurological Assessment ..................................................................................................................................... 270 19.4.2 Postinjury Weight Loss ........................................................................................................................................ 270 19.4.3 Neurobehavioral Assessment ............................................................................................................................... 271
19.5 Troubleshooting ............................................................................................................................................................... 271 19.5.1 Air Bubbles .......................................................................................................................................................... 271 19.5.2 Inconsistent Pressure Pulse Waveforms .............................................................................................................. 271 19.5.3 Inconsistent Righting Reflex Times ..................................................................................................................... 271 19.5.4 Lack of Injury-Induced Neurobehavioral Deficits ............................................................................................... 272
19.6 Variations ......................................................................................................................................................................... 272 References ................................................................................................................................................................................. 272
physiological, behavioral, or anatomical outcome measures used to evaluate the injury response, it is important that the results be reproducible, quantifiable, and produce a continuum of injury severities (Lighthall, 1989). No single model can replicate the complex mechanisms that occur after human TBI, but several preclinical models of TBI have been developed and implemented to properly characterize its underlying pathology. This chapter focuses on the methods, techniques, and clinical relevance of the fluid percussion model of TBI. The procedures described are based on the authors’ years of training and experience using this injury model.
