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J Reconstr Microsurg 1995; 11(1): 27-29
DOI: 10.1055/s-2007-1006507
ORIGINAL ARTICLE

© 1995 by Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc.

Functional Evaluation of Peripheral-Nerve Repair and the Effect of Hyperbaric Oxygen

William A. Zamboni, Richard E. Brown, Allan C. Roth, Aruna Mathur, Linda L. Stephenson
  • Division of Plastic Surgery, S.I.U. School of Medicine, Springfield, Illinois
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Publication History

Accepted for publication 1994

Publication Date:
08 March 2008 (online)

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ABSTRACT

The effect of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) on peripheral-nerve recovery following devascularization and repair was studied, using the rat sciatic-nerve model. The right sciatic nerve was mobilized, stripped of the extrinsic blood supply, transected, and repaired in an epineurial fashion, using microsurgical technique. Following repair, animals were randomized into one of two groups: 1) control-no HBO (n = 20); 2) HBO treatment-twice daily for one week (1.75 hr dives, 100 percent O2, 2.5 ATA) (n = 16). Nerve recovery was assessed weekly (total of 10 weeks) by walking-track analysis, from which the sciatic function index (SFI) was calculated for each animal.

Mean SFI scores were improved in the HBO-treatment group over controls, becoming statistically significant at weeks 7 through 10. These results suggest that functional recovery in transected, devascularized, peripheral nerves may be improved by 1 week of HBO treatment following microsurgical repair.