Study of tibial nerve regeneration in Wistar rats in primary neurorrhaphy with and without gap, wrapped in vein segments

OBJECTIVE This study compared nerve regeneration in Wistar rats, using epineural neurorrhaphy with a gap of 1.0 mm and without a gap, both wrapped with jugular vein tubes. Motor neurons in the spinal cord between L3 and S1 were used for the count, marked by exposure of the tibial nerve to Fluoro-Gold (FG). METHOD The tibial nerves on both sides were cut and sutured, with a gap on one side and no gap in the other. The sutures were wrapped with a jugular vein. Four months after surgery the tibial nerves were exposed to Fluoro-Gold and the motor neuron count performed in the spinal cord. RESULTS The results were statistically analyzed by the paired Wilcoxon test. There was a statistical difference between the groups with and without gap in relation to the motor neuron count (p=0.013). CONCLUSION The epineural neurorraphy without gap wrapped with jugular vein showed better results for nerve regeneration than the same procedure with gap. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Experimental Study .