title: Comparison between flexible collagen and vein conduits used for size-discrepant nerve repair: an experimental study in rats.
abstract: Primary nerve repair is the gold standard in nerve reconstruction. When primary repair is not possible for injured nerves, conduit-assisted repair methods are frequently used. As conduits, autologous vein segments or allogenic biodegradable products can be used. However, their effectiveness when used in a nerve defect where a size discrepancy exists has not been compared. In this study, either a vein graft or a synthetic collagen conduit was used to bridge 10-mm defects between size-discrepant tibial and peroneal nerves in a rat model. After 90 days, nerve regeneration was evaluated using electrophysiological and histological methods. It can be concluded based on the results of this study that bridging a 10-mm nerve gap with synthetic collagen conduits and autologous vein grafts yielded similar results in small-to-large nerve coaptations, with the vein graft being slightly more effective.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Ondokuz Mayis University, Samsun, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Demir
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Ondokuz Mayis University, Samsun, Turkey.
authors.forename: Tekin
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Simsek
authors.affiliation: Division of Plastic Surgery, Clinic of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Mehmet Aydin Training and Research Hospital, Samsun, Turkey.
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Acar
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology and Embryology, İstanbul University School of Veterinary Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Abit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aktaş
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience and Neurosurgery, Maastricht University Medical Center, European Graduate School of Neuroscience (EURON), Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Rinkse
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vlamings
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Ondokuz Mayis University School of Medicine, Samsun, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ayyıldız
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Karadeniz Technical University School of Medicine, Trabzon, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yıldırım
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience and Neurosurgery, Maastricht University Medical Center, European Graduate School of Neuroscience (EURON), Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Yasin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Temel
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology and Embryology, Ondokuz Mayis University School of Medicine, Samsun, Turkey.
authors.forename: Süleyman
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kaplan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D003094:Collagen / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D009416:Nerve Regeneration; D010543:Peroneal Nerve / Q000473:pathology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000473:pathology*; D014680:Veins / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D003094:Collagen