title: Quantitative histological analysis of the mandibular branch of the facial nerve in rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To establish a model to quantitative histological analysis of the mandibular branch of the facial nerve in rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eleven Wistar rats had their right and left mandibular branches of the facial nerve surgically removed and were sacrificed afterwards. Quantitative histological analysis was performed with: a) partial number of axons; b) partial area of the transversal cut of the nerve (9000 μm(2)); c) partial density. The averages of partial density were obtained. The statistical study was established by Wilcoxon test (p=0.05).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In relation to density of axons, comparison between sides shows no statistically significant difference (p=0.248; p=0.533). Mean partial density of distal and proximal samples was, respectively, 0.18 ± 0.02 and 0.19 ± 0.02 axons/μm(2). Comparison between proximal and distal samples shows no statistically significant difference (p=0.859; p=0.182).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study has successfully established a model to histological quantitative analysis of the mandibular branch of the facial nerve in rats.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, USP, Sao Paulo, Brazil. heloisarossic@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Heloisa Juliana Zabeu Rossi
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Salomone
authors.forename: Ciro Ferreira da
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Márcio Paulino
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: Beatriz Lucchetta
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.forename: Ricardo Ferreira
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Bento
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons; D005154:Facial Nerve / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006652:Histological Techniques / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008334:Mandible / Q000294:innervation*; D023421:Models, Animal; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D015203:Reproducibility of Results