The artificial nerve graft: a comparison of blended elastomer-hydrogel with polyglycolic acid conduits.
A study was undertaken to compare the regeneration of rat peroneal nerves across a 0.5-cm gap repaired with either a permanent, porous or a resorbable, non-porous artificial nerve graft. The resorbable, impermeable artificial nerve graft was a synthetic passive conduit made from polyglycolic acid (PGA). The permanent, porous artificial nerve graft conduit was manufactured from a hydrophilic elastomeric biopolymer (HEB), and four variations were tested. Qualitative histology on short-term animals revealed similar inflammatory reactions to HEB and PGA. Axonal regeneration was evaluated in longer-term animals after three, four, and six months by qualitative and quantitative histology. Qualitative histology on longer-term animals demonstrated both artificial nerve grafts to be anti-immunogenic. All PGA-artificial nerve graft repairs among three-, four-, and six-month rats contained myelinated axons, as did all HEB-1 repairs. However, three other HEB-graft varieties accounted for a 25 percent failed regeneration rate. Quantitative histologic comparison of repair-site cross-sections in viable PGA and HEB matched pairs demonstrated statistically equivalent myelinated axon counts but larger average myelinated fiber diameters in HEB repairs, with p = .001.
Keeley
R D
RD
Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, California 94305.
Nguyen
K D
KD
Stephanides
M J
MJ
Padilla
J
J
Rosen
J M
JM
D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000502:physiology; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D008297:Male; D009186:Myelin Sheath / Q000502:physiology; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D010543:Peroneal Nerve / Q000502:physiology*; D011100:Polyglycolic Acid; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D011100:Polyglycolic Acid