OBJECTIVE: Pathophysiological changes in spinal cord injury are complex and involve the risk of secondary injury due to different physiological factors, including microvascular damage. This study observed the effect of myelotomy on microcirculation perfusion in the injured epicenter and surrounding penumbra using a rat model of T10 spinal cord injury. STUDY DESIGN: We randomly distributed 150 female rats into 3 groups: sham (control) (n=6), receiving laminectomy alone; contusion (n=72), receiving laminectomy plus contusion; and myelotomy (n=72), receiving laminectomy plus contusion and myelotomy. Microcirculation perfusion was observed and quantized using a Laser Speckle Contrast Imager, MoorFLPI, from 15 minutes to 168 hours post-injury. RESULTS: Microcirculation perfusion at the injury epicenter and rostrocaudal sites was significantly higher in the myelotomy group as compared with the contusion group from 3–168 hours and 2–168 hours post-injury, respectively. Overall, microcirculation perfusion at the rostrocaudal sites was significantly higher than in the epicenter at every time-point in the myelotomy group. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that myelotomy increases spinal cord microcirculation perfusion from early time-points in the injured epicenter and rostrocaudal sites over the first week post-injury. © Science Printers and Publishers, Inc.