Preliminary clinical study on repair of digital nerve defect with collagen array microtubule nerve scaffold

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of collagen array microtubule nerve scaffolds for repair of finger nerve defects. Methods From July 2017 to March 2018, 5 patients with 6 side digital nerve defects were repaired with collagen array microtubule nerve scaffolds developed by our group. The length of defects ranged from 18 to 28 mm, with an average of 21.7 mm. Results All the patients were follow-up for 6 to 14 months, with an average of 9 months. All the wounds achieved primary healing without any adverse events, such as infection, allergy, liver and kidney damage. The sensory function of the repaired digital nerves was improved, and the static two-point discrimination of 3 distal finger pulp was 4, 7 and 8 mm, respectively. According to BMRC sensory assessment criteria (1954), the result was S4 in 1 case (1 finger), S3+ in 2 cases (2 fingers), and S2 in 2 cases (3 fingers). Conclusion Preliminary study shows that there is no adverse reaction and the function of digital nerve recovers well after collagen array microtubule nerve scaffolds bridging digital nerve defects. Key words: Collagen; Treatment outcome; Digital nerve; Defects; Nerve scaffold