TY - JOUR
T1 - An alternative to the classical nerve graft for the management of the short nerve gap
AU - Dellon, A. Lee
AU - Mackinnon, Susan E.
PY - 1988/11
Y1 - 1988/11
N2 - Reconstruction of a short nerve gap by a nerve graft produces donor-site scarring, loss of donor nerve function, and neuroma formation. This study compared the regeneration achieved after 1 year in 16 monkeys across a 3-cm upper arm ulnar nerve gap with a bioabsorbable polyglycolic acid nerve conduit with the regeneration achieved with a classical interfascicular interpositional sural nerve graft. The results demonstrated electrophysiologic and histologic evidence of neural regeneration across the gaps in all experimental groups. The bioabsorbable nerve conduit groups and the sural nerve graft group had mean fiber diameters, amplitudes, and conduction velocities each significantly less than those of normal control ulnar nerves. There was, however, no significant difference between any of the experimental groups. Electromyography demonstrated recovery of 19 of the 28 (68 percent) intrinsic muscles studied. These results demonstrate that the primate peripheral nerve can regenerate across short nerve gaps when guided by an appropriate nerve conduit, suggesting that a single-stage biodegradable polyglycolic acid conduit may be used as an alternative to a short interfascicular nerve graft.
AB - Reconstruction of a short nerve gap by a nerve graft produces donor-site scarring, loss of donor nerve function, and neuroma formation. This study compared the regeneration achieved after 1 year in 16 monkeys across a 3-cm upper arm ulnar nerve gap with a bioabsorbable polyglycolic acid nerve conduit with the regeneration achieved with a classical interfascicular interpositional sural nerve graft. The results demonstrated electrophysiologic and histologic evidence of neural regeneration across the gaps in all experimental groups. The bioabsorbable nerve conduit groups and the sural nerve graft group had mean fiber diameters, amplitudes, and conduction velocities each significantly less than those of normal control ulnar nerves. There was, however, no significant difference between any of the experimental groups. Electromyography demonstrated recovery of 19 of the 28 (68 percent) intrinsic muscles studied. These results demonstrate that the primate peripheral nerve can regenerate across short nerve gaps when guided by an appropriate nerve conduit, suggesting that a single-stage biodegradable polyglycolic acid conduit may be used as an alternative to a short interfascicular nerve graft.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0023692281&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1097/00006534-198811000-00020
DO - 10.1097/00006534-198811000-00020
M3 - Article
C2 - 2845455
AN - SCOPUS:0023692281
SN - 0032-1052
VL - 82
SP - 849
EP - 856
JO - Plastic and reconstructive surgery
JF - Plastic and reconstructive surgery
IS - 5
ER -