Fig. 1

Schematic and intraoperative photos of the procedure to induce syringomyelia. a Dorsal view and b lateral view: a cotton strip was stuffed under the T13 lamina from the T12–13 laminae interval space by bending the nerve stripper. c Procedure: A 3 cm long incision was made in the middle of the rat’s back. d T12–13 lamina were exposed. e The ligamentum flavum was cut open with micro-scissors. Fifteen milligrams of cotton were weighed and molded into cotton strips. f After the cotton strip (black arrow and area marked with black dotted lines) was added, the dura mater was directly attached to the spinal cord, and CSF flow was blocked (g, white arrow; The black dotted line outlines the interlaminal space). h The incision was sutured