End‐to‐side neurorrhaphy: An experimental study in rabbits

Abstract

The concept of end-to-side nerve repair was recently introduced; however, most authors have reported conflicting results with this technique. This study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of end-to-side nerve repair in both fresh and predegenerated specimens by histological evaluation in an animal study in rabbits. Thirty male rabbits were divided into three groups. In group 1 (n = 14), the peroneal nerve was divided and sutured end-to-side to the tibial nerve via an epineurial window. In group 2 (n = 13), the peroneal nerve was divided and sutured end-to-side to the tibial nerve after a 1-week "predegeneration period." In group 3 (n = 3), which was considered the control group, the peroneal nerve was divided and sutured to the adjacent soft tissues. After 3 months, specimens were harvested for histological evaluation. Nerve fiber count, in normal peroneal nerves, averaged 532/cross section. In groups 1 and 2, average nerve fiber count in implanted peroneal nerves was 6.24 and 7.00/cross section, respectively. No significant statistical difference was observed between fresh and "predegenerated" groups (P = 0.90). These data suggest that collateral sprouting of donor nerves is possible after end-to-side neurorrhaphy through an epineurial window, but the number of nerve fibers in recipient nerves is too low to result in any functional recovery in the target organ.

Functional Motor Nerve Regeneration Without Motor-Sensory Specificity Following End-to-Side Neurorrhaphy: An Experimental Study

“…Electrophysiological investigations and functional tests indicated successful reinnervation of the forearm flexors and recovery of the flexor function. Despite these exciting results, Jaberi et al 11 showed that the average nerve fiber count in implanted peroneal nerves was 6 per cross-section, far less than the average of 532 per cross-section in normal peroneal nerves. Our results from both electrophysiology and nerve tissue analysis showed that the distal musculocutaneous nerve contained significantly more regenerated axons after end-to-side coaptation than in the transected nerve 5 months after repair.…”

Functional Remobilization Evaluation of the Paralyzed Vocal Cord by End‐to‐Side Neurorrhaphy in Rats

“…Recently, many authors have reported conflicting results with this end‐to‐side technique. Jaberi et al 6 assessed the effectiveness of end‐to‐side nerve repair in both fresh and predegenerated specimens by histologic evaluation in an animal study in rabbits. Their results suggested that collateral sprouting of donor nerves is possible after end‐to‐side neurorrhaphy through an epineurial window, but the number of nerve fibers in recipient nerves is too low to result in any functional recovery in the target organ.…”

Promotion of Nerve Regeneration in Peripheral Nerve by Short-Course FK506 after End-to-Side Neurorrhaphy

“…However, there have been many experimental and clinical studies with conflicting results. Some authors suggested end-to-side coaptation as an alternative method in nerve repair, whereas others reported limited motor and sensory recovery [5][6][7][8].…”