Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Dankook University College of Medicine, Cheonan, Republic of Korea.
J Neurotrauma. 2012 Dec 10;29(18):2738-47. doi: 10.1089/neu.2012.2414. Epub 2012 Nov 27.
In the clinical setting, skin temperature is both easily evaluated and useful in assessments of sympathetic dysfunction. The present study purposed to observe the serial skin temperature changes of both hindlimbs following several types of sciatic nerve injury (complete transection and ligation model [CTL], crush injury model [CRI], and chronic constriction injury model [CCI]) in Sprague-Dawley rats and, further, to delineate the possible mechanisms through various evaluation methods. The temperature differences between the intact and injured areas (ΔT) on the plantar surface and toes varied among the CTL, CRI, and CCI injury models during the acute stage (7 days post-injury). During the subacute to chronic stages (7-28 days post-injury), ΔT on the plantar area and toes of the CCI model were higher than those of the CTL and CRI models. The sciatic functional index was gradually restored in the CRI and CCI models, but was unchanged in the CTL model. The CTL model showed constant hypoesthesia; the CRI model, contrastingly, was restored to normal, and the CCI model showed gradual hyperesthesia until 28 days post-injury. The latency and amplitude of the compound muscle action potential (CMAP) in the involved plantar muscle was not found in the CTL group 4 weeks post-injury, but showed gradual restoration in the CRI and CCI models. Regression analysis revealed that the ΔT in the plantar area and toes were affected only by the CMAP amplitude in the involved plantar muscle; therefore, it can be said that the skin temperature on the injured area after sciatic nerve injury was influenced by the functional status of the involved muscle. Measurement of skin temperature can differentiate mild peripheral nerve injury from moderate-to-severe injuries, although its clinical significance might be limited.
在临床环境中，皮肤温度既易于评估，又可用于评估自主神经功能障碍。本研究旨在观察几种类型的坐骨神经损伤（完全横断结扎模型[CTL]、挤压损伤模型[CRI]和慢性缩窄性损伤模型[CCI]）后 SD 大鼠双侧后肢的连续皮肤温度变化，并通过各种评估方法进一步阐明可能的机制。足底和趾部完整与损伤区域之间的温差（ΔT）在 CTL、CRI 和 CCI 损伤模型的急性期（损伤后 7 天）有所不同。在亚急性期到慢性期（损伤后 7-28 天），CCI 模型的足底和趾部的 ΔT 高于 CTL 和 CRI 模型。CRI 和 CCI 模型的坐骨神经功能指数逐渐恢复，但 CTL 模型未发生变化。CTL 模型持续表现为感觉迟钝；相反，CRI 模型恢复正常，CCI 模型则逐渐出现感觉过敏，直至损伤后 28 天。损伤后 4 周，CTL 组的足底肌肉所涉及的复合肌肉动作电位（CMAP）的潜伏期和幅度均未出现，但在 CRI 和 CCI 模型中逐渐恢复。回归分析显示，足底和趾部的ΔT 仅受所涉及足底肌肉 CMAP 幅度的影响；因此，可以说坐骨神经损伤后损伤区域的皮肤温度受所涉及肌肉的功能状态影响。皮肤温度的测量可以区分轻度周围神经损伤和中度至重度损伤，尽管其临床意义可能有限。
