title: End-to-side neurorrhaphy: an experimental study in rabbits.
abstract: The concept of end-to-side nerve repair was recently introduced; however, most authors have reported conflicting results with this technique. This study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of end-to-side nerve repair in both fresh and predegenerated specimens by histological evaluation in an animal study in rabbits. Thirty male rabbits were divided into three groups. In group 1 (n = 14), the peroneal nerve was divided and sutured end-to-side to the tibial nerve via an epineurial window. In group 2 (n = 13), the peroneal nerve was divided and sutured end-to-side to the tibial nerve after a 1-week "predegeneration period." In group 3 (n = 3), which was considered the control group, the peroneal nerve was divided and sutured to the adjacent soft tissues. After 3 months, specimens were harvested for histological evaluation. Nerve fiber count, in normal peroneal nerves, averaged 532/cross section. In groups 1 and 2, average nerve fiber count in implanted peroneal nerves was 6.24 and 7.00/cross section, respectively. No significant statistical difference was observed between fresh and "predegenerated" groups (P = 0.90). These data suggest that collateral sprouting of donor nerves is possible after end-to-side neurorrhaphy through an epineurial window, but the number of nerve fibers in recipient nerves is too low to result in any functional recovery in the target organ.
authors.affiliation: Orthopaedic Division, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. Jaberi@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Fereidoon Mojtahed
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Jaberi
authors.forename: Babak Pour
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Abbas
authors.forename: Simin Torabi
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Nezhad
authors.forename: Nader
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tanideh
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D008297:Male; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000502:physiology; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000502:physiology; D010543:Peroneal Nerve / Q000601:surgery*; D011817:Rabbits; D013536:Suture Techniques; D013979:Tibial Nerve / Q000601:surgery*