Objective: To investigate the therapeutic effect of artificial nerve conduit in the sciatic nerve injury and repair in the rat model.
Methods: A total of 60 adult male Sprague Dawley rats were evenly randomized into five groups to build the model of sciatic nerve injury and perform the injury repair experiment. The five groups were: group A which was treated with artificial nerve conduit, group B which was treated with common carotid artery (CCA) autograft, group C which was treated with sciatic nerve autograft, group D which was treated with sham operation, and group E as the normal control. The injury was repaired by direct coaptation of the nerve ends. Postoperatively, the rats' behavior, motor nerve conduction velocity (MNCV), incubation period, amplitude, remaining rate of wet weight of the gastrocnemius muscle, the diameter and section area of the gastrocnemius cell, and the histological changes were assessed. The results were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and two-way ANOVA.
Results: Twelve days postoperatively, 36 rats in groups A, B, and C presented with denervated adermotrophia on the injured ankle. The electrophysiological indicators in groups D and E were constant and similar. The values of MNCV and amplitude were group C > group A > group B, with an increasing tendency. The values of the incubation period were group C < group A < group B with statistical difference (p < 0.05) and showed a decreasing tendency. The wet gastrocnemius muscle in groups D and E showed plump morphology with luster and elasticity. Groups A and C had similar atrophic gastrocnemius muscles and reduced flexibility while the phenomena were more severe in group B. Progressive decrease of the cell diameter and sectional area was observed in groups A, B, and C. The adhesion between the sciatic nerve and the surrounding area in groups A, B, and C had statistical significance (P < 0.05), with group B the most serious.
Conclusions: The results suggest that artificial nerve conduit facilitated functional and morphological regeneration of the nerve. It seemed more effective than CCA but inferior to sciatic nerve autograft in repairing sciatic nerve injury in the rat model.
Keywords: Artificial nerve conduit; Electrophysiology; Gastrocnemius; Peripheral nerve repair; Sciatic nerve injury.