VEIN GRAFT CONDUITS VERSUS CONVENTIONAL SUTURING IN PERIPHERAL-NERVE RECONSTRUCTIONS

Positive results of tubulization in peripheral nerve reconstruction ha ve been established in animals by many investigators. Clinically, tubu lization by means of a venous tubulus is accepted as a reliable techni que, but histological results are not known and functional analysis is limited. The aim of this investigation was to study the histological effect of venous tubuli in peripheral nerve reconstruction. In 20 rabb its the saphenous nerves were transected and anastomosed. In ten rabbi ts (series 1) a venous tubulus was placed around the nerve suture. In another ten rabbits (series 2) a venous tubulus was sutured over a 3 m m nerve gap. Conventional suturing was done in ten contralateral saphe nous nerves (series 3, controls). Epineurial stitching was performed. The healing was studied after 3 months and after that histological ana lysis was performed by means of monoclonal antibody staining. The resu lts of our experiments show that covering a nerve anastomosis with a v enous tubulus did not enhance healing in comparison to the conventiona l end-to-end anastomosis, but in contrast evoked extensive fibrous tis sue, thereby hampering regeneration of axons. (C) 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc .