J Korean Assoc Maxillofac Plast Reconstr Surg.  2012 Mar;34(2):148-154.

Surgical Anatomy of Sural Nerve for the Peripheral Nerve Regeneration in the Oral and Maxillofacial Field

• Seo MH
• Park JM
• Kim SM
• Kang JY
• Myoung H
• Lee JH

Abstract

Peripheral nerve injuries in the oral and maxillofacial regions require nerve repairs for the recovery of sensory and/or motor functions. Primary indications for the peripheral nerve grafts are injuries or continuity defects due to trauma, pathologic conditions, ablation surgery, or other diseases, that cannot regain normal functions without surgical interventions, including microneurosurgery. For the autogenous nerve graft, sural nerve and greater auricular nerve are the most common donor nerves in the oral and maxillofacial regions. The sural nerve has been widely used for this purpose, due to the ease of harvest, available nerve graft up to 30 to 40 cm in length, high fascicular density, a width of 1.5 to 3.0 mm, which is similar to that of the trigeminal nerve, and minimal branching and donor sity morbidity. Many different surgical techniques have been designed for the sural nerve harvesting, such as a single longitudinal incision, multiple stair-step incisions, use of nerve extractor or tendon stripper, and endoscopic approach. For a better understanding of the sural nerve graft and in avoiding of uneventful complications during these procedures as an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, the related surgical anatomies with their harvesting tips are summarized in this review article.

Keyword

Microneurosurgery; Nerve extractor; Peripheral nerve injury; Sural nerve graft; Trigeminal nerve

MeSH Terms

Humans
Organic Chemicals
Peripheral Nerve Injuries
Peripheral Nerves
Regeneration
Sural Nerve
Tendons
Tissue Donors
Transplants
Trigeminal Nerve
Organic Chemicals