J Reconstr Microsurg 2009; 25(8): 507-515
DOI: 10.1055/s-0029-1234029
© Thieme Medical Publishers

Repair of Partial Nerve Injury by Bypass Nerve Grafting with End-to-Side Neurorrhaphy

Chunhui Song1 , Tanya Oswald2 , Hede Yan2 , Michael B. Chen2 , Jian Zhang3 , Tongyi Chen3 , William C. Lineaweaver2 , Feng Zhang2
  • 1Department of Hand Surgery, Dalian Municipal Central Hospital, Dalian, China
  • 2Division of Plastic Surgery, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi
  • 3Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Fudan University, Zhong Shan Hospital, Shanghai, China
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
20 August 2009 (online)

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of bypass nerve grafting with end-to-side neurorrhaphy in repair of the partial nerve injury in a rabbit model. Thirty-six adult male New Zealand rabbits were divided into three groups. A partial nerve injury was created by removal of a segment of the lateral fascicle of the left peroneal nerve. In group one, the injured nerve was repaired with nerve graft bypassing the injury site in an end-to-side fashion 4 weeks after injury. In group two, the injured nerve was repaired with end-to-end interpositional nerve grafting 6 weeks after injury. The injured nerve without repair was used as the control. Sixteen weeks after nerve repair, in groups one and two, and 20 weeks after the initial nerve injury in the control group, the nerves were dissected for electrophysiological examination and biopsied for histology and molecular markers expression. The nerve repair with interpositional nerve grafting achieved maximal functional recovery. However, motor nerve conduction velocity and compound motor action potential in nerve repair with bypass nerve grafting were significantly higher than that in the nerve injury without repair. Histologically, the regenerated myelinated axons and unmyelinated axons were present in the distal peroneal nerves in the bypass nerve grafts. The axon counts in nerve repair with the bypass nerve grafting were also significantly higher than that in the nerve injury without repair. The comparisons of the ciliary neurotrophic factor and the calcitonin gene-related peptide gene expressions between nerves with and without repair were significantly different. End-to-side bypass nerve grafting can significantly improve functional recovery in the nerve with partial injury and may be a useful repair strategy in neuromas-in-continuity.

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Feng ZhangM.D. Ph.D. 

Division of Plastic Surgery, University of Mississippi Medical Center

2500 North State Street, Jackson, MS 39216

Email: fzhang@surgery.umsmed.edu

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