Nerve growth factor combined with an epineural conduit for bridging a short nerve gap (10 mm). A study in rabbits

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of direct administration of nerve growth factor (NGF) into an epineural conduit across a short nerve gap (10 mm) in a rabbit sciatic nerve model. The animals were divided into two groups. In group 1, n = 6, a 10-mm defect was created in the sciatic nerve and bridged with an epineural flap. A dose of 1 μg of NGF was locally administered daily for the first 21 days. NGF administration was made inside the epineural flap using a silicone reservoir connected to a silicone tube. In group 2, n = 6, the 10-mm defect was bridged with a nerve graft. This group did not receive any further treatment. At 13 weeks, all animals, before euthanasia, underwent electromyography (EMG) studies and then specimen sent for histology morphometric analysis. NGF administration ensured a significantly increased average number of myelinated axons per μm(2) (P = 0.028) and promoted fiber maturation (P = 0.031) and better EMG results (P = 0.046 for latency P = 0.048 for amplitude), compared with the control group. Although nerve grafts remain the gold standard for peripheral nerve repair, NGF-treated epineural conduits represent a good alternative, particularly when an unfavorable environment for nerve grafts is present.

Application of epineural sheath conduit for restoration of 6‐cm long nerve defects in a sheep median nerve model

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Comparison between suture and fibrin glue on repair by direct coaptation or tubulization of injured mouse sciatic nerve

“…Biological and synthetic nerve conduits have had some success in early clinical studies on reconstruction of nerve defects in the hand . The effectiveness of nerve regeneration could potentially be increased by using these nerve conduits as scaffolds for delivery of Schwann cells, stem cells and neurotropic factors or extracellular matrix proteins . Currently, the repair is made by using sutures to fix the graft or the tube to the injured nerve.…”

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Effect of platelet rich plasma and platelet rich fibrin on sciatic nerve regeneration in a rat model

“…The model of 10 mm sciatic nerve gap used successfully for assess nerve repair in several studies was chosen to assess peripheral nerve regeneration in this study [20][21][22][23] and this nerve gap was bridged with silicone tube or ANG.…”