The influence of reinnervation on the results of peripheral nerve repair after injuries

Abstract Introduction Research on the possibility of increasing the effects of after-injury reconstruction of peripheral nerves conducted in the Department of Physiology at ŚUM resulted in the development of a new method of reconstruction after peripheral nerve injuries. In this new method, we used 7-day predegenerated in situ sural nerve grafts. In clinical assessment, we concluded that recovery in motor, sensory and vegetative function after peripheral nerve injury treatment is better with the use of predegenerated grafts. The latent efficacy of reconstruction was measured months or years after reconstruction. In that amount of time, denervated synaptic sites in muscles can be reinnervated by nearby healthy non-injured nerves. It could increase motor, sensory, or vegetative function, irrespective of the effects of chirurgical treatment. We decided to investigate whether the circumstances may influence the latent efficiency of the new method of reconstruction. Materials and Methods Experiments were carried out on 32 patients in The Department of Neurosurgery Medical University of Silesia. Twenty patients were operated on with a predegenerated (P) implant, and 12 patients operated in the traditional method (T). As a result, 25% of patients’ reinnervation from healthy nearby nerves in the area supplied by reconstructed nerves was present. In group P, reinnervation appeared in 7 of 20 patients (35%) and in group T, in 1 from 12 (8.33%) cases. Results Results of the examinations were counted statistically in both groups. Conclusion Reinnervation from nearby healthy non-injured nerves positively influences the results of human peripheral nerve reconstruction.