title: Clinical applications of autografts, conduits, and allografts in repair of nerve defects in the hand: current guidelines.
abstract: Traumatic nerve injuries are common conditions treated by hand surgeons, and the optimal treatment of a severed nerve requires providing a healthy wound bed, generous trimming to healthy nerve substance, and a minimal-tension approximation. The gold standard for repair of a critical nerve gap has been the nerve autograft. However, results are generally less favorable than direct suture. Autogenous and synthetic conduits and processed nerve allografts have been developed as less morbid and more convenient alternatives to autografts, but the reported outcomes have been uneven. Engineered neural tissues show great promise in inducing nerve regeneration across a gap.
authors.affiliation: Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Kentucky, K454 740 S. Limestone Street, Lexington, KY 40536-0284, USA. Electronic address: brink2@email.uky.
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rinker
authors.affiliation: Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Kentucky, K454 740 S. Limestone Street, Lexington, KY 40536-0284, USA.
authors.forename: Krishna S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Vyas
mesh_terms: D006230:Hand Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D009416:Nerve Regeneration; D059348:Peripheral Nerve Injuries / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous
keywords: Autograft; Engineered neural tissue; Nerve gap; Processed nerve allograft; Regeneration; Synthetic conduit