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A Novel Technique for Peripheral Nerve Repair
Author(s) -
Scharpf Joseph,
Meirer Romed,
Zielinski Maciej,
Unsal Murat,
Ramineni Praful,
Nair Dileep,
Siemionow Maria
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
the laryngoscope
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.181
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1531-4995
pISSN - 0023-852X
DOI - 10.1097/00005537-200301000-00018
Subject(s) - fascicle , axon , medicine , sciatic nerve , somatosensory evoked potential , myelin , regeneration (biology) , epineurial repair , peripheral nerve , nerve injury , anatomy , surgery , anesthesia , biology , central nervous system , microbiology and biotechnology
Objective To evaluate a novel technique for the repair of neural deficits using a single fascicle to bridge an injury in the rat sciatic nerve. Study Design Twenty‐four male Lewis rats were divided into four groups as follows: group 1 (control group), 1.5‐cm deficit without repair; group 2, conventional epineural repair with autografts (100% diameter); group 3, nerve repair with large single autograft fascicle (50% diameter); and group 4, nerve repair with small single autograft fascicle (25% diameter). Methods Nerve regeneration was evaluated at 3, 6, and 12 weeks by somatosensory evoked potential (SSEP) evaluation and standardized pin‐prick and toe‐spread tests. Nerve samples were harvested at 12 weeks and stained with toluidine blue to assess the total number of myelinated axons, axon area, and myelin sheath thickness. Results In group I, the pin‐prick and toe‐spread tests showed no response at 3, 6, and 12 weeks. Rats in groups 3 and 4 demonstrated significantly better pin‐prick test results and a trend toward better toe‐spread test responses compared with conventional‐repair animals. The SSEP evaluations displayed nondiagnostic waves in rats in group 1 rats. There was no evidence that the other surgery groups differed significantly in median SSEP latencies. Histological evaluation revealed fibrosis in rats in group 1 rats and a significantly higher median number of axons and myelin thickness in the small single fascicle (1296 axons and 4.22 μm, respectively) and large fascicle (2682 axons and 4.62 μm, respectively) groups compared with the conventional autograft group (630 axons and 2.93 μm, respectively). The small fascicle group had a significantly greater mean axon area (58.59 μm 2 ) than the large fascicle (29.66 μm 2 ) and conventional autograft (25.35 μm 2 ) groups. Conclusions Peripheral nerve repair using a single fascicle graft resulted in better functional recovery and morphometric outcome without a significant difference in electrophysiological status compared with conventional nerve repair. This technique may provide expanded sources of nerve autografts and alleviate the morbidity of harvesting peripheral nerves from multiple sites for individuals with extensive peripheral nerve injuries.