title: Hyperbaric oxygen treatment enhances regeneration of the rat sciatic nerve.
abstract: The effect of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) treatment on regeneration of the rat sciatic nerve was studied. The sciatic nerve was crushed with a pair of pliers and the animals were either left untreated or subjected to a series of 45-min exposures to 100% O2 at 3.3 atm absolute pressure at 0, 4, and 8 h postoperatively and then every 8 h. Regeneration was evaluated using the pinch-reflex test at 3, 4, or 5 days following surgery and with neurofilament staining at 4 days. The regeneration distances at all time points were significantly longer in animals exposed to hyperbaric oxygen treatment independent of the evaluation procedure. A short initial period of the same HBO treatment schedule, with no more treatments after 25 h, appeared as effective as when treatments were maintained being given every 8 h until evaluation. We conclude that HBO treatment stimulates axonal outgrowth following a nerve crush lesion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery, Hand Surgery and Burns, Faculty of Health Sciences, University Hospital, Linköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Haapaniemi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nylander
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kanje
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dahlin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006931:Hyperbaric Oxygenation; D008297:Male; D009409:Nerve Crush; D009416:Nerve Regeneration; D016900:Neurofilament Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D010146:Pain; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012018:Reflex; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000166:cytology / Q000293:injuries* / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D016900:Neurofilament Proteins