SPLIT NERVE GRAFTING

Twenty-five patients with severe brachial plexus lesions (having a rat her poor prognosis in general), were subjected to a variety of split n erve graft procedures, with 22 achieving useful functional recovery. T hirty-eight nerves were reconstructed, with 32 of them achieving usefu l recovery. Results in these patients were no better nor worse than th ose obtained with other types of nerve grafts (e.g., free cutaneous ne rve grafts, vascularized nerve grafts, etc.). The technique of splitti ng the ulnar nerve for the use of split fascicle groups as free nerve grafts is nevertheless recommended as an alternative to the applicatio n of the ulnar nerve as a vascularized nerve graft. The plexiform arra ngement of the fascicles within the ulnar nerve apparently does not pr eclude the possibility of harvesting sufficiently long nerve grafts.