CONTINUED REINNERVATION OF FULL-THICKNESS SKIN AFTER TRANSPOSITION

The aim of this experiment was to investigate the transposition of rei nnervated skin grafts. In the first stage, a full thickness graft was placed on the sensory nerve supplying the anterolateral thigh skin of a rat (n = 72). The animals were then divided into three groups accord ing to the period between the first and second stages: Group I, 2 week s (n = 24); Group II, 4 weeks (n = 24); and Group III, 8 weeks (n = 24 ). In six rats from each of the three groups, the grafts were excised for histochemical examination at the end of the interval between the f irst and second stages. In the remaining rats, the grafts based on the sensory nerves were transposed to other recipient sites (stage 2). By subdividing each of the three groups into three subgroups skin grafts were then excised for histochemical examination at 2-week, 4-week and 8-week intervals. The contralateral side acted as the control. Specif ic thiocholine methods were employed to demonstrate the cholinesterase activities of the regenerating nerves into the grafts. In all groups, apart from the first group, nerve regeneration into the graft showed no interruption. This study demonstrated that a skin graft based on a sensory nerve may substitute for a secondary end organ, and its transp osition does not result in loss of reinnervation.