title: Can Thoracic Sympathetic Nerve Damage Be Reversed?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Function of the thoracic sympathetic chain (TSC) reportedly recovers after surgical clips are removed. Hence, this study was designed to study nerve regeneration after unclipping the TSC.
  
  
  METHODS
  The bilateral TSCs of six goats were studied; the goats were separated into three groups (groups I, II, and III) during excision, clipping, and unclipping. During surgery, the TSCs were excised with a scalpel in group I and clipped in groups II and III. In group III, the clips were removed 1 month postoperatively and observed for possible nerve healing for 1 month. All TSCs were examined histologically following en block resection at 1 month postoperatively in groups I and II and at 2 months postoperatively in group III.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Inflammation in nerve sections was noted following clip removal. Furthermore, there was significant degeneration and cell infiltration in the nerve fibers of the clipped regions. The Schwann cells around the peripheral nerve endings in the unclipped regions facilitated nerve transmission by reconstitution of myelin.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Clipping the TSC can cause histologic degeneration; however, histologic nerve regeneration occurs after unclipping.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Uludag University, Faculty of Medicine, Bursa, Turkey.
authors.forename: M Muharrem
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Erol
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Uludag University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Bursa, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hakan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Salcı
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Uludag University, Faculty of Medicine, Bursa, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hüseyin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Melek
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology, Uludag University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Bursa, Turkey.
authors.forename: Tuncay
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: İlhan
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology, Uludag University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Bursa, Turkey.
authors.forename: Nesrin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Özfiliz
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Uludag University, Faculty of Medicine, Bursa, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ahmet Sami
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Bayram
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Uludag University, Faculty of Medicine, Bursa, Turkey.
authors.forename: Cengiz
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gebitekin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003250:Constriction; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006041:Goats; D009410:Nerve Degeneration; D009416:Nerve Regeneration; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D013900:Thoracic Nerves / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D013997:Time Factors