title: A comparison of vascularized and conventional sural nerve grafts.
abstract: Long-term results of a randomized series of 27 vascularized and 22 conventional sural nerve grafts in patients with comparable upper extremity injuries are reported. Recovery speed and outcome depended on (1) whether or not there was an overlying skin defect, (2) how the defect was closed, and (3) which nerve was injured and at what level. Generally, a vascularized nerve graft is indicated when the nerve gap is more than 6 cm and is associated with a massive skin defect or the graft is performed after reimplantation. Otherwise, results achieved with a conventional graft are equally good.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Yamaguchi University School of Medicine, Ube, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Doi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tamaru
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sakai
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kuwata
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kurafuji
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kawai
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001365:Axilla / Q000294:innervation; D006801:Humans; D008475:Median Nerve / Q000601:surgery; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D011826:Radial Nerve / Q000601:surgery; D013497:Sural Nerve / Q000637:transplantation*; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous / Q000379:methods; D014459:Ulnar Nerve / Q000601:surgery