title: Isometric contractile function following nerve grafting: a study of graft storage.
abstract: In order to assess the effects of storage on nerve grafts, the isometric contractile function of the gastrocnemius muscle was assessed 14 months following sciatic nerve autografting in the rat. Three-centimeter sciatic nerve grafts were stored at either 5 degrees C or 22 degrees C for 6 h, 24 h, or 3 weeks in an organ transplant solution. Muscle mass and maximal force in the fresh control graft group returned to 47% and 36% of normal levels, respectively, which was similar to stored grafts. Storage at 5 degrees C was superior to 22 degrees C and there was no decrement in contractile function in grafts stored up to 3 weeks at 5 degrees C. These findings suggest that the storage of nerve grafts is a feasible technique that might be applied to nerve allografts, thus permitting elective reconstruction of large peripheral nerve gaps.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Awerbuck
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Mackinnon
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Wade
authors.forename: N H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: McKee
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004594:Electrophysiology / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D007537:Isometric Contraction; D008297:Male; D009132:Muscles / Q000294:innervation*; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D012016:Reference Values; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000502:physiology / Q000637:transplantation*; D013997:Time Factors; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous