AXONAL REGENERATION IN THE FOOT BRANCH OF THE SUPERFICIAL PERONEAL NERVE AND THE LATERAL PLANTAR NERVE OF THE RAT AFTER SCIATIC-NERVE LESIONS

Hand injuries with nerve lesions often leave the patient with a persis tent sensory deficit, particularly with respect to glabrous skin. The present study examines axonal regeneration in the foot branch of the s uperficial peroneal nerve (fSPN) and the lateral plantar nerve (LPN), supplying hairy skin and glabrous skin together with some intrinsic mu scles, respectively, after sciatic nerve lesions in the rat. Following crush lesions, the number of myelinated axons is normal in the fSPN, and the occurrence of C-fibers appears slightly reduced. In the LPN, t he numbers of myelinated axons and C-fibers are both significantly inc reased. Post-crush regenerated myelinated fSPN and LPN axons show norm al size ranges, but the proportion of small myelinated axons is increa sed. After neurotomy and suture, the numbers of myelinated axons and C -fibers in the fSPN are not significantly different from normal. The L PN exhibits a significantly increased number of myelinated axons, but the number of C-fibers is not significantly abnormal. In both nerves, the myelinated axons present an abnormally narrow size range. These fi ndings show that the quantitative outcome of regeneration in a nerve i nnervating glabrous skin (rind some intrinsic muscles) differs signifi cantly from that of branches to hairy skin of the foot, with respect t o myelinated as well as unmyelinated axons. To what extent these diffe rences mirror functional differences awaits elucidation.