title: [Study of the vascular morphology of the lower limb nerves used as grafts].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The placement of a vascularized nervous graft is an option for acute nervous injuries treatment, as this has demonstrated a longer viability.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To carry out a macroscopic and microscopic analysis of the vascularity of the main lower limb nerves used as vascularized nervous grafts.
  
  
  METHODS
  It was followed out a descriptive, transversal and non-comparative study to analyse the saphenous, the sural, the deep peroneal and the superficial peroneal nerves vascularity. This study was performed in two stages: 1) an in situ vascularity study and 2) a morphometric study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  By the in situ study, it was demonstrated the following: the total length of the lower limb nerves used as graft, was in a decrease order: sural nerve (micro = 29.26 cm, +/- 4.05 cm), superficial peroneal nerve (micro = 28.61 cm, +/- 3.97 cm), deep peroneal nerve (micro = 26.64 cm, +/- 5.21 cm) and saphenous nerve (micro = 25.12 cm, +/- 4.42 cm). The morphometric study demonstrated that the dominant artery with the major diameter belongs to the saphenous nerve, with a diameter of 1.13 mm; then we have the superficial peroneal nerve with a 1.01 mm diameter, followed by the deep peroneal nerve with 0.91 mm, and finally the sural nerve with the smallest diameter, 0.85 mm.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The saphenous nerve has the most appropriated morphological characteristics to be used as a vascularized graft; by the contrary the deep peroneal nerve represents the last option from all the nerves included in this study.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Anatomía Humana, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Monterrey.
authors.forename: Juan José
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Bazaldúa-Cruz
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Quiroga-Garza
authors.forename: Sergio Everardo
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Velázquez-Gauna
authors.forename: Eliud Enrique
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Villarreal-Silva
authors.forename: Octavio
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Tijerina-de-la-Garza
authors.forename: Rodrigo Enrique
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Elizondo-Omaña
authors.forename: Oscar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: De-la-Garza-Castro
authors.forename: Santos
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Guzmán-López
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002102:Cadaver; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D035002:Lower Extremity / Q000294:innervation*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010525:Peripheral Nerves / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000637:transplantation*