Abstract
Purpose: To investigate the ability of a supercharge end-to-side (SETS) nerve transfer to augment the effect of regenerating native axons in an incomplete rodent sciatic nerve injury model. Methods: Fifty-four Lewis rats were randomized to 3 groups. The first group was an incomplete recovery model (IRM) of the tibial nerve complemented with an SETS transfer from the peroneal nerve (SETS-IRM). The IRM consisted of tibial nerve transection and immediate repair using a 10-mm fresh tibial isograft to provide some, but incomplete, nerve recovery. The 2 control groups were IRM alone and SETS alone. Nerve histomorphometry, electron microscopy, retrograde labeling, and muscle force testing were performed. Results: Histomorphometry of the distal tibial nerve showed significantly increased myelinated axonal counts in the SETS-IRM group compared with the IRM and SETS groups at 5 and 8 weeks. Retrograde labeling at 8 weeks confirmed increased motoneuron counts in the SETS-IRM group. Functional recovery at 8 weeks showed a significant increase in muscle-specific force in the SETS-IRM group compared with the IRM group. Conclusions: An SETS transfer enhanced recovery from an incomplete nerve injury as determined by histomorphometry, motoneuron labeling within the spinal cord, and muscle force measurements. Clinical relevance: An SETS distal nerve transfer may be useful in nerve injuries with incomplete regeneration such as proximal Sunderland II- or III-degree injuries, in which long regeneration distance yields prolonged time to muscle reinnervation and suboptimal functional recovery.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 466-477 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | Journal of Hand Surgery |
Volume | 38 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Mar 2013 |
Keywords
- Nerve regeneration
- nerve transfer
- neurorrhaphy
- peripheral nerve
- supercharge end-to-side