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Long‐Term Results of Nervous Tissue Alterations Caused by Epineurial Electrode Application: An Experimental Study in Rat Sciatic Nerve
Author(s) -
KOLLER RUPERT,
GIRSCH WERNER,
LIEGL CHRISTIAN,
CRUDER HELMUT,
HOLLE JÜRGEN,
LOSERT UDO,
MAYR WINFRIED,
THOMA HERWIG
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
pacing and clinical electrophysiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.686
H-Index - 101
eISSN - 1540-8159
pISSN - 0147-8389
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-8159.1992.tb02906.x
Subject(s) - epineurium , medicine , sciatic nerve , anatomy , stimulation , peripheral nervous system , epineurial repair , central nervous system
In order to evaluate the long‐term effects of epineurial electrode application for functional electrical stimulation (FES) the left sciatic nerve of seven rats was exposed. Four ring‐shaped stainless steel wire electrodes were sutured to the epineurium of each nerve in the same manner as performed clinically for carrousel stimulation in man. The nerves were reexposed 1 year after implantation and the stimulation threshold to obtain a tetanic contraction in the lower limb was determined for each electrode. Afterwards the animals were sacrificed. The electrodes were excised and cross sections of the sciatic nerve directly at the site of the electrodes, 2‐mm proximal and 2‐mm distal to them were harvested for hisfologic and planimetric assessment of nerve lesions. The area of damaged neural tissue was expressed as a percentage of the total cross‐sectional area within the perineural sheath. The sciatic nerves of the right side served as controls. The values for the stimulation thresholds ranged between 0.1 and 1.0 mA (mean 0.43 mA). By morphometric examination five of seven nerves were seen altered, the altered areas captured between 1% and 4.8% of the total cross‐sectional area of the nerves within the perineural sheath. Besides two specimens, all altered nerve segments exhibited distinct signs of nerve fiber regeneration. The clinical implications of the results for long‐term electrical stimulation, such as phrenic pacing, are discussed.