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Does partial muscle reinnervation preserve future re‐innervation potential?
Author(s) -
Isaacs Jonathan,
Mallu Satya,
Shall Mary,
Patel Gaurangkumar,
Shah Pooja,
Shah Shalin,
Feger Mark A.,
Graham Gordon,
Pasula Nikhil
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
muscle and nerve
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.025
H-Index - 145
eISSN - 1097-4598
pISSN - 0148-639X
DOI - 10.1002/mus.25571
Subject(s) - reinnervation , denervation , atrophy , medicine , anatomy , muscle atrophy , muscle fibre , skeletal muscle
Late revision nerve surgery for incomplete motor recovery due to partial reinnervation would improve muscle function if all muscle fibers were protected from developing denervation atrophy. Methods Sixty immature Sprague‐Dawley rats underwent the following tibial nerve manipulations ( n = 15/group): group A, partial denervation (two thirds of nerve resected and the remaining one third crushed), revision repair at 8 months; group B, partial denervation; group C, complete denervation, immediate reconstruction; group D, complete denervation, reconstruction at 8 months; and group E, control. Final testing at 11 months included muscle force, weight, and histology. Results Muscle weight was significantly ( P < 0.05) different among all groups (highest to lowest: E > B > C > A > D), and force was significantly lower in groups A and D compared with E. Muscle fiber cross‐sectional area was statistically smaller in group A than in groups B, C, or E. Discussion Partial reinnervation still allowed substantial muscle recovery, but it did not preserve the non‐innervated muscle fibers. Muscle Nerve 56 : 1143–1148, 2017