L. Chen et Yd. Gu, AN EXPERIMENTAL-STUDY OF CONTRALATERAL C7 ROOT TRANSFER WITH VASCULARIZED NERVE GRAFTING TO TREAT BRACHIAL-PLEXUS ROOT AVULSION, Journal of hand surgery. British volume, 19B(1), 1994, pp. 60-66
Experimental rat models of simulated brachial plexus injuries were dev
ised to compare the effect of contralateral C7 root transfer with phre
nic neurotization. The effect of vascularized nerve grafting (VNG) was
also compared with the use of conventional nerve grafts (CNG) in the
treatment of root avulsion of the brachial plexus. 160 rats were rando
mly divided into four groups of 40 each; contralateral C7 root transfe
r with a vascularized ulnar nerve graft (C7-VNG), contralateral C7 roo
t transfer with conventional ulnar nerve grafting (C7-CNG), ipsilatera
l phrenic nerve transfer with a vascularized ulnar nerve graft (P-VNG)
and ipsilateral phrenic nerve transfer with conventional ulnar nerve
grafting (P-CNG). Electrophysiological and histological examinations a
nd functional evaluation were performed at different post-operative in
tervals. C7 root transfer was found to be superior to phrenic nerve tr
ansfer and VNG superior to CNG. Severance of the C7 nerve root was not
found to affect limb function on the healthy side.