EXPERIMENTAL AND CLINICAL-STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF NAFTIDROFURYL ON THERECOVERY FROM PERIPHERAL-NERVE LESIONS

After primary repair of lesions of nerves and vessels, patients who we re administered a vasoactive drug, naftidrofuryl, postoperatively, had a better functional recovery than untreated patients. Evidence for th e favourable effect of the drug on nerve regeneration was first obtain ed from experiments in the rat. The sciatic nerve was transected and r epaired with standard microsurgical techniques. Results were evaluated by electromyography and histology. Data indicated that treated animal s had better motor responses and distal latency than untreated rats. F ibre counts showed a greater number of nerve fibres in the distal stum p of treated animals. The clinical study was undertaken in cases of ca rpal tunnel syndrome with muscle atrophy. Assessment was performed by electrophysiology: motor and sensory conduction was studied. Data show ed that all treated patients recovered totally or partially from the t henar atrophy they presented before operation, whereas thenar atrophy persisted in 37% of the patients receiving placebo. In conclusion, naf tidrofuryl has an experimentally and clinically favourable effect on n erve regeneration and on muscle trophicity, but the mechanism of actio n of this drug is not known. (C) 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.