An experimental study on end-to-side neurorrhaphy in rats.

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Original Article

Journal of the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons 1998;25(7):1292-1305.
Published online October 1, 1998.

An experimental study on end-to-side neurorrhaphy in rats.

No authors listed

Abstract

We investigate the efficacy of the end-to-side neurorrhaphy, and an alternative reconstructive method for the wide nerve gap comparing with the state of normal, denervated,and nerve graft. Thirty Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 3 group of each 10 rats. In the right side of all groups, nerve branch to the gastrocnemius muscle was severed and the distal ending of the nerve was sutured was sutured to the lateral side of the tibial nerve after round excision of the epineurium. In the first group(normal control group), left side was untouched. In the second(denervated group), left side was sectioned at the distal 5mm from bifurcation of branch to gastrocnemius from sciatic nerve. In the third group(nerve graft group), left side was sectioned at two points, 5 mm and 15 mm distal to bifurcation of the branch to gastrocnemius nerve from sciatic nerve, and then cut ends were anastomosed again as a nerve graft. 5 months later, all animals were subject to electrophysiologic tests and histologic examination including the number of nerve fibers and the changes of muscle fibers. In the group I, the conduction velocity of the end-to-side neurorrhaphy side was delayed comparing to the normal control side(p< 0.05). But, there was no significant difference between end-to-end neurorrhaphy and nerve graft. In histologic finding, the amount of nerve fibers in the end-to-side neurorrhaphy was 50.8% of normal control(p<0.01), and 48.6% of nerve graft side(p<0.006). The histolgic findings of the gastrocnemius muscle in the stat of the end-to-side neurorrhaphy were similar to findings of the nerve graft side, and though slightly decreased size and deformed shape of the muscle fibers were noted, the architecture of the normal muscle configuration was sustained. In conclusion, these results demonstrated the end-to-side neurorrhaphy conducted the electrical stimuli and allowed the regeneration of axons from lateral surface of healthy main peripheral nerve. Therefore, end-to-side neurorrhaphy was thought to be and alternative method for the reconstruction of the wide nerve gap.

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