title: Interposed autologous nerve segment stimulates nerve regeneration in peripheral nerve allografts in a rat model.
abstract: The ability of autologous nerve segments interposed between allografts, to increase the total nerve-gap distance, was studied. Sciatic nerve allografts were carried out in a rat model. A 15-mm nerve gap was repaired with a 25-mm nerve graft (interposed group: allo-auto-allograft; control group: allo-allo-allograft). Cyclosporin was given for 12 weeks. Nerve regeneration was evaluated using the weight of the anterior tibial muscle and histologic, morphometric and immunohistochemical analyses at 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 20, and 24 weeks. Nerve regeneration in the interposed group was statistically significantly better than that in the control group. The authors concluded that a nerve allograft with interposed autograft may enhance nerve regeneration in this model, because of the migration of host-derived Schwann cells into the graft from not only the proximal and distal host nerve stumps, but also the interposed autograft.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, JR Hiroshima General Hospital, Hiroshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sugita
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ishida
authors.forename: Yoshikazu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ikuta
authors.forename: Haruhiko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takata
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kajihara
authors.forename: Yoshimasa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tomita
authors.forename: Mitsuo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ochi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D008297:Male; D023421:Models, Animal; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D016067:Nerve Transfer / Q000379:methods*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000293:injuries / Q000502:physiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous