Intraoperative visual guidance based on 3D visualisation proved to be adequate and accurate for locating superficial brain tumours in cases where transfer of planned surgical targets to the surgical field was possible. Decision about its use should be based on preoperative computer-assisted 3D planning, in which the feasibility of visual matching during surgery can and must be assessed.
The influence of breaching the connective sheaths of the donor sural nerve on axonal sprouting into the end-to-side coapted peroneal nerve was examined in the rat. In parallel, the effect of these procedures on the donor nerve was assessed. The sheaths of the donor nerve at the coaptation site were either left completely intact (group A) or they were breached by epineurial sutures (group B), an epineurial window (group C), or a perineurial window (group D). In group A, the compound action potential (CAP) of sensory axons was detected in *10% and 40% of the recipient nerves at 4 and 8 weeks, respectively, which was significantly less frequently than in group D at both recovery periods. In addition, the number of myelinated axons in the recipient nerve was significantly larger in group D than in other groups at 4 weeks. At 8 weeks, the number of axons in group A was only *15% of the axon numbers in other groups ( p < 0.05). Focal subepineurial degenerative changes in the donor nerves were only seen after 4 weeks, but not later. The average CAP area and the total number of myelinated axons in the donor nerves were not different among the experimental groups. In conclusion, myelinated sensory axons are able to penetrate the epiperineurium of donor nerves after end-to-side nerve coaption; however, their ingrowth into recipient nerves is significantly enhanced by breaching the epiperineurial sheets at the coaptation site. Breaching does not cause permanent injury to the donor nerve.
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