Published in:
01-05-2005 | Original article
Long-term behavioral assessment of guinea pigs following neonatal pneumoperitoneum
Published in: Surgical Endoscopy | Issue 5/2005
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Background
Using guinea pigs, we previously demonstrated that pneumoperitoneum during pregnancy produces behavioral deficits in the offspring. In the current study, the purpose was to determine if CO2 pneumoperitoneum during the early postnatal period also produced behavioral anomalies.
Methods
Following delivery, guinea pig pups were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups: CO2 pneumoperitoneum (P), laparotomy (L), or isolation control (I). Surgeries were performed on postnatal day (PND) 5 under isoflurane anesthesia; control pups were isolated from the dams for an equivalent period of time. On PNDs 10, 20, 40, and 60, behavior was assessed by monitoring locomotor and exploratory activity.
Results
A total of 29 animals were studied. We observed no immediate morbidity or mortality and the manipulations did not appear to affect postnatal growth. On PND 10, pups in group P exhibited lower levels of locomotor activity compared to L and I neonates, but this difference resolved as the animals got older. Histologic assessment of the adult offspring brains revealed no evidence of neurologic injury.
Conclusion
These data suggest that unlike insufflation during pregnancy, neonatal pneumoperitoneum does not produce behavioral deficits.