Extent of fiber regeneration after peripheral nerve repair: silicone splint vs. suture, gap repair vs. graft.
The degree of regeneration in surgically repaired sciatic nerves in rats was measured using a simple new electrophysiologic method: comparison of the size of nerve responses evoked by stimulation distal and proximal to the anastomosis. Five different repair procedures were evaluated. After simple end-to-end suture anastomosis, about 40% of the severed parent fibers regenerated past the suture line. The result was substantially improved when the anastomosis was covered with a newly designed thinwall silicone sheath which incorporated a narrow longitudinal slit. The presence of suture material at the point of anastomosis had no effect. Finally, regeneration across a 5-mm gap ensheathed in silicone (67%) was better than regeneration through a 5-mm autograft (45%).
D000200:Action Potentials; D000818:Animals; D009416:Nerve Regeneration; D010525:Peripheral Nerves / Q000502:physiology* / Q000601:surgery / Q000637:transplantation; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000502:physiology; D012828:Silicones; D013537:Sutures; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous
D012828:Silicones