title: The functional results of acute nerve grafting in traumatic sciatic nerve injuries.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The sciatic and peroneal nerves are the most frequently injured in lower extremities, followed by tibial and femoral nerves. The aim of this study is to evaluate the functional results of acute nerve grafting in traumatic sciatic nerve injuries.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 9 patients with sciatic nerve defect were treated with primary nerve grafting. The mean age was 31.7 years. The etiologic factors were gunshot wounds, traffic accident, and penetrating trauma.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All of the patients had sciatic nerve defects ranging from 3.4 to 13.6 cm. The follow-up period ranged between 25 and 84 months. The tibial nerve motor function was "good" or "very good" (M3-M4) in 5 patients (55.6%). The plantar flexion was not sufficient for the rest of the patients. The peroneal nerve motor function was also "good" and "very good" in 3 patients (33.3%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The functional results of the acute nerve grafting of the sciatic nerve within the first week after the injury are poorer than reported in the related literature. This protocol should only be applied to select patients who have adequate soft tissue coverage and healthy nerve endings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Dokuz Eylül University, Faculty of Medicine, İzmir, Turkey. haluk.vayvada@deu.edu.tr
authors.forename: Haluk
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Vayvada
authors.forename: Cenk
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Demirdöver
authors.forename: Adnan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Menderes
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yılmaz
authors.forename: Can
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Karaca
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D059348:Peripheral Nerve Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000293:injuries* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D013497:Sural Nerve / Q000601:surgery / Q000637:transplantation*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult