title: Amniotic membrane covering for facial nerve repair.
abstract: Amniotic membranes have been widely used in ophthalmology and skin injury repair because of their anti-inflammatory properties. In this study, we measured therapeutic efficacy and determined if amniotic membranes could be used for facial nerve repair. The facial nerves of eight rats were dissected and end-to-end anastomosis was performed. Amniotic membranes were covered on the anastomosis sites in four rats. Electromyography results showed that, at the end of the 3(rd) and 8(th) weeks after amniotic membrane covering, the latency values of the facial nerves covered by amniotic membranes were significantly shortened and the amplitude values were significantly increased. Compared with simple facial nerve anastomosis, after histopathological examination, facial nerve anastomosed with amniotic membrane showed better continuity, milder inflammatory reactions, and more satisfactory nerve conduction. These findings suggest that amniotic membrane covering has great potential in facial nerve repair.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Ümraniye State Hospital for Research and Training, İstanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karaman
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Haydarpaşa Numune State Hospital for Research and Training, İstanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Arzu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tuncel
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Haydarpaşa Numune State Hospital for Research and Training, İstanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Shahrouz
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sheidaei
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, GATA Haydarpaşa State Hospital for Research and Training, İstanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet Güney
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Senol
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Ümraniye State Hospital for Research and Training, İstanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Murat Hakan
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Karabulut
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Ümraniye State Hospital for Research and Training, İstanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ildem
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Deveci
authors.affiliation: Department of Dentistry, Turkish Military Services, İstanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Nihan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Karaman
keywords: amniotic membrane; amplitude; electromyography; facial nerve injury; latency; nerve anastomosis; neural regeneration; neuroregeneration; peripheral nerve injury; tissue engineering