title: Inferior alveolar nerve reconstruction with a polyglycolic acid bioabsorbable nerve conduit.
abstract: A custom-designed polyglycolic acid (PGA) bioabsorbable nerve conduit was used to reconstruct a 25-mm defect in the right inferior alveolar nerve. The initial nerve injury, following a dental extraction, resulted in loss of lower lip sensation and severe facial pain. Sixteen months after tooth extraction, with no improvement in symptomatology, the alveolar canal was enlarged in diameter by means of mandibular osteotomy to accommodate a 2-mm-diameter polyglycolic acid tube. The proximal end of the inferior alveolar nerve was sutured into the polyglycolic acid tube. The mental nerve was sutured into the distal end of the tube. Pain of neural origin was relieved in the early postoperative period. Two years following nerve reconstruction, pain relief remains excellent and perception of pressure and vibration is similar to the thresholds for these perceptions on the contralateral lip.
authors.affiliation: Division of Plastic Surgery, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Md.
authors.forename: W A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Crawley
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Dellon
mesh_terms: D000042:Absorption; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008340:Mandibular Nerve / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D016067:Nerve Transfer / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D009493:Neurosurgery / Q000295:instrumentation; D011100:Polyglycolic Acid; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D014081:Tooth Extraction / Q000009:adverse effects; D061221:Trigeminal Nerve Injuries
chemical_list: D011100:Polyglycolic Acid