Gastric emptying and gastrointestinal transit of liquid throughout the first month after thoracic spinal cord transection in awake rats.

Spinal cord transection (SCT) inhibits gastrointestinal motility in awake rats. We studied the gastric emptying (GE) and gastrointestinal transit of liquid throughout the first month after thoracic SCT. Male Wistar rats (N = 66) were submitted to laminectomy followed or not by complete SCT between T4 and T5 vertebrae. Phenol red recovery in the stomach, proximal, mid-and distal small intestine was determined 1, 7, 10, 15, and 30 days thereafter. Gastric recovery increased by 51.2 and 38.9% and mid-intestinal recovery decreased by 45.5 and 66.6% at one and seven days after SCT (P < 0.05). Proximal small intestine recovery increased by 45.9% 10 days after SCT but no inhibition of gastrointestinal motility was observed thereafter. Stool output significantly decreased in the first seven days after SCT (P < 0.05). In summary, gastrointestinal motility in awake rats is inhibited throughout the first 10 days after thoracic SCT but not thereafter.