Shear wave elastography for assessing acute cold exposure-induced changes in rabbit sciatic nerves
10.3760/cma.j.cn131148-20250322-00153
- VernacularTitle:剪切波弹性成像评估急性冷暴露兔坐骨神经变化
- Author:
Wenyiru ZHANG
1
;
Xiaozhe LIU
;
Yue LI
;
Xiaoshuang SONG
;
Qiqi LI
;
Zhuang JIN
Author Information
1. 大连医科大学北部战区总医院研究生培养基地，沈阳 110016
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Shear wave elastography;
Acute cold exposure;
Rabbits;
Sciatic nerve;
Peritoneal lavage
- From:
Chinese Journal of Ultrasonography
2025;34(9):805-812
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:To quantitatively evaluate the changes of the sciatic nerve of rabbits following acute cold exposure and intraperitoneal lavage rewarming therapy by applying shear wave elastography（SWE）technology.Methods:Thirty healthy adult New Zealand white rabbits，weighing approximately（4.0 ± 0.2）kgResults:Body temperature comparison：the body temperature of all 3 groups decreased at T2 compared to T1，with statistically significant differences（all P<0.05）. By T4，the body temperature of all groups had returned to normal，showing no significant differences compared to T1（ P>0.05）. The peritoneal lavage + rewarming platform group showed a faster recovery rate in body temperature during T2-T3 compared to both the rewarming platform group and the blank control group，with statistically significant differences（all P<0.05）. There were no significant differences in the recovery rate between the rewarming platform group and the blank control group during T2-T3（all P>0.05）. Comparison of conventional ultrasound parameters：the longitudinal width，cross-sectional area，and perimeter of the sciatic nerve showed statistically significant differences between T2 and T1（all P<0.05）. No significant differences were observed between T3 and T4，or between T1 and T4（all P>0.05）. Comparison of SWE parameters：T2 phase showed an increase in SWE values of the sciatic nerve，with statistically significant differences in the maximum（Emax）and average（Emean）Young's modulus compared to T1 and T4（all P<0.05）. No significant differences were observed between T1 and T4（all P>0.05）. Transmission electron microscopy results：under acute cold exposure，the sciatic nerve showed swelling，with vacuole formation visible in the axons. After peritoneal lavage rewarming therapy，the morphology of the sciatic nerve returned to normal. Conclusions:Following acute cold exposure，the rabbit's sciatic nerve exhibits contraction，with increased stiffness，which can be quantitatively assessed using conventional ultrasound combined with SWE. Peritoneal lavage therapy is an effective rewarming method that significantly enhances the rewarming rate.
