Analysis of Result of Nerve Graft to Defcet of Nerve

Lee, Kwang Suk; Park, Sang Won; Shim, Jae Hak

Abstract

Since the first experimental nerve graft by Philipeaux and Vulpian in 1870, many successful graft have been reported by Bunnell, Boyes, Millesi, Sunderland and Seddon. Advances in microsurgery techniques prompted Millesi to introduce the concepts of interfascicular nerve grafting whereby groups of fascicles, and not whole nerve, are connected together. Hunt and Taylor described a free vasculized nerve graft with microvascular anastomoses and obtained rapid axonal advance and maturation of grafted nerve in a clinical case. It is true that a nerve graft should be inferior to an end-to-end nerve repair, because in the case of nerve grafting the axon have to cross two suture lines instead of one. On the other hand, nerve grafting is indicated whenever a significant gap is produced in a nerve as a result of injury. In a retrospective study of 46 patients, defect of the nerve with treated by nerve graft were analyzed from March, 1983 to January, 1993 and following results were obtained. 1. Nerve graft was useful method to repair nerve whenever a significant gap is produced in a nerve as a result of injury. 2. The sural nerve was used as a donor nerve and vasculized nerve graft can be useful. 3. Postoperative results of cases caused by electric burns were worse than others. 4. There were little significant value in the treatment results between epineural and perineural nerve graft. 5. Recovery of intrinsic function in median and ulnar nerve lesion above the elbow was poor and recovery of the intrinsic function in median nerve graft at the forearm level was better than level for lesion in the ulnar nerve at the same level.