title: Nerve-muscle-endplate band grafting:  a new technique for muscle reinnervation..
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Because currently existing reinnervation methods result in poor functional recovery, there is a great need to develop new treatment strategies.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the efficacy of our recently developed nerve-muscle-endplate band grafting (NMEG) technique for muscle reinnervation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-five adult rats were used. Sternohyoid (SH) and sternomastoid (SM) muscles served as donor and recipient muscle, respectively. Neural organization of the SH and SM muscles and surgical feasibility of the NMEG technique were determined. An NMEG contained a muscle block, a nerve branch with nerve terminals, and a motor endplate band with numerous neuromuscular junctions. After a 3-month recovery period, the degree of functional recovery was evaluated with a maximal tetanic force measurement. Retrograde horseradish peroxidase tracing was used to track the origin of the motor innervation of the reinnervated muscles. The reinnervated muscles were examined morphohistologically and immunohistochemically to assess the extent of axonal regeneration.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nerve supply patterns and locations of the motor endplate bands in the SH and SM muscles were documented. The results demonstrated that the reinnervated SM muscles gained motor control from the SH motoneurons. The NMEG technique yielded extensive axonal regeneration and significant recovery of SM muscle force-generating capacity (67% of control). The mean wet weight of the NMEG-reinnervated muscles (87% of control) was greater than that of the denervated SM muscles (36% of control).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The NMEG technique resulted in successful muscle reinnervation and functional recovery. This technique holds promise in the treatment of muscle paralysis.
authors.affiliation: Upper Airway Research Laboratory, Department of Research, Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack, New Jersey 07601, USA. lmu@humed.com
authors.forename: Liancai
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mu
authors.forename: Stanislaw
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sobotka
authors.forename: Hungxi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Su
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000637:transplantation*; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D009469:Neuromuscular Junction / Q000601:surgery*; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D010525:Peripheral Nerves / Q000637:transplantation*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D016378:Tissue Transplantation / Q000379:methods