Bridging nerve defects with differently treated muscle grafts: assessment of microsphere technique for measurement of blood flow in rats.
OBJECTIVE
To select advanced points from differently treated muscle grafts and explore a new conduit to bridge nerve defects.


METHODS
A total of 70 Sprague-Dawley rats were employed in this experiment. We applied a frozen probe to freeze the muscle in situ to disrupt any cellular elements of the local muscle grafts, but blood vessels to the muscle were carefully preserved. Radioactive microsphere technique was employed to visualize the blood supply to the muscle grafts. Immunohistochemical staining and ultrastructural observation were also carried out to assess the results of nerve regeneration.


RESULTS
The in-situ frozen muscle grafts were revascularized within the first 3 days, which led to fast migration of macrophages and Schwann cells. That was really reflected in the final results: the early incursion of regenerating axons, more regenerating axons at the early stage both in the grafts and distal stumps, and thicker myelin sheath of regenerating axons.


CONCLUSIONS
The in-situ frozen autogenous muscle graft is useful in the repair of sciatic nerve of rats. In the thicker and longer grafts the benefits will be more remarkable. It will be the most useful technique for nerve repair, especially in the repair of a large nerve gap in a poor recipient bed.
Wang
Y
Y
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Chinese General Hospital of PLA, Beijing, China.
Hung
L K
LK
Leung
P C
PC
D000818:Animals; D015925:Cryopreservation; D005615:Freezing; D008863:Microspheres; D009132:Muscles / Q000098:blood supply / Q000637:transplantation*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000293:injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D013524:Surgical Flaps