Functional Outcome Following Traumatic Peripheral Nerve Injury Repair in a Tertiary Care Hospital in South India - An Observational Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (25) ◽  
pp. 2197-2202
Author(s):  
Joyal Jose ◽  
Sabu Chaniveliyil Parameswaran ◽  
Aniraj Rajappan

BACKGROUND Peripheral nerve injuries (PNIs) often accompany trauma to limbs and is a major cause of morbidity. Various surgical techniques are described for nerve repair and various factors influence the functional outcome after repair. This study intends to assess the functional outcome following PNI repair and various factors affecting the final outcome post repair. In this study we wanted to assess the functional outcome of PNI repair done at our institute. METHODS This is a prospective observational study conducted at the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, India, from September 2017 to September 2019 (24 months) in patients with a diagnosis of traumatic peripheral nerve injury. Data collected were analysed by statistical programme for social sciences (SPSS) version 20. Quantitative variables were expressed in mean & standard deviation (SD) and qualitative variables were expressed in proportions. Associations were tested by chi-square test. RESULTS A total of 100 patients were studied. Overall satisfactory sensory outcome was found to be 45.2% in median nerve and 45.5 % in ulnar nerve injuries (P value - 0.492). Overall satisfactory motor outcome was found to be 45.2 % in median nerve and 36.3 % in ulnar nerve injuries (P value - 0.391). Age < 40 years was found to be significantly associated with a good sensory and motor recovery. Diabetes mellitus was associated with a poor sensory and motor outcome compared to patients without any comorbidities. Use of nerve grafts was associated with less sensory recovery compared to primary nerve coaptation (P value - 0.496). Nerve repairs done between 4 - 7 days of injury had better sensory and motor outcome. CONCLUSIONS Traumatic peripheral nerve repair has a variable functional outcome and is dependent on various factors like age and other patient related factors, mechanism of injury and the type of nerve repair. Accurate diagnosis, attention to detail and timely intervention can improve the overall functional outcome. KEYWORDS Peripheral Nerve Injury, Nerve Repair, Functional Outcome

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stella M. Matthes ◽  
Kerstin Reimers ◽  
Insa Janssen ◽  
Christina Liebsch ◽  
Jeffery D. Kocsis ◽  
...  

Peripheral nerve injury is a common and devastating complication after trauma and can cause irreversible impairment or even complete functional loss of the affected limb. While peripheral nerve repair results in some axonal regeneration and functional recovery, the clinical outcome is not optimal and research continues to optimize functional recovery after nerve repair. Cell transplantation approaches are being used experimentally to enhance regeneration. Intravenous infusion of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) into spinal cord injury and stroke was shown to improve functional outcome. However, the repair potential of intravenously transplanted MSCs in peripheral nerve injury has not been addressed yet. Here we describe the impact of intravenously infused MSCs on functional outcome in a peripheral nerve injury model. Rat sciatic nerves were transected followed, by intravenous MSCs transplantation. Footprint analysis was carried out and 21 days after transplantation, the nerves were removed for histology. Labelled MSCs were found in the sciatic nerve lesion site after intravenous injection and regeneration was improved. Intravenously infused MSCs after acute peripheral nerve target the lesion site and survive within the nerve and the MSC treated group showed greater functional improvement. The results of study suggest that nerve repair with cell transplantation could lead to greater functional outcome.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 1401
Author(s):  
Rui D. Alvites ◽  
Mariana V. Branquinho ◽  
Ana C. Sousa ◽  
Federica Zen ◽  
Monica Maurina ◽  
...  

Thousands of people worldwide suffer from peripheral nerve injuries and must deal daily with the resulting physiological and functional deficits. Recent advances in this field are still insufficient to guarantee adequate outcomes, and the development of new and compelling therapeutic options require the use of valid preclinical models that effectively replicate the characteristics and challenges associated with these injuries in humans. In this study, we established a sheep model for common peroneal nerve injuries that can be applied in preclinical research with the advantages associated with the use of large animal models. The anatomy of the common peroneal nerve and topographically related nerves, the functional consequences of its injury and a neurological examination directed at this nerve have been described. Furthermore, the surgical protocol for accessing the common peroneal nerve, the induction of different types of nerve damage and the application of possible therapeutic options were described. Finally, a preliminary morphological and stereological study was carried out to establish control values for the healthy common peroneal nerves regarding this animal model and to identify preliminary differences between therapeutic methods. This study allowed to define the described lateral incision as the best to access the common peroneal nerve, besides establishing 12 and 24 weeks as the minimum periods to study lesions of axonotmesis and neurotmesis, respectively, in this specie. The post-mortem evaluation of the harvested nerves allowed to register stereological values for healthy common peroneal nerves to be used as controls in future studies, and to establish preliminary values associated with the therapeutic performance of the different applied options, although limited by a small sample size, thus requiring further validation studies. Finally, this study demonstrated that the sheep is a valid model of peripheral nerve injury to be used in pre-clinical and translational works and to evaluate the efficacy and safety of nerve injury therapeutic options before its clinical application in humans and veterinary patients.


2011 ◽  
Vol 106 (5) ◽  
pp. 2450-2470 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco J. Alvarez ◽  
Haley E. Titus-Mitchell ◽  
Katie L. Bullinger ◽  
Michal Kraszpulski ◽  
Paul Nardelli ◽  
...  

Motor and sensory proprioceptive axons reinnervate muscles after peripheral nerve transections followed by microsurgical reattachment; nevertheless, motor coordination remains abnormal and stretch reflexes absent. We analyzed the possibility that permanent losses of central IA afferent synapses, as a consequence of peripheral nerve injury, are responsible for this deficit. VGLUT1 was used as a marker of proprioceptive synapses on rat motoneurons. After nerve injuries synapses are stripped from motoneurons, but while other excitatory and inhibitory inputs eventually recover, VGLUT1 synapses are permanently lost on the cell body (75–95% synaptic losses) and on the proximal 100 μm of dendrite (50% loss). Lost VGLUT1 synapses did not recover, even many months after muscle reinnervation. Interestingly, VGLUT1 density in more distal dendrites did not change. To investigate whether losses are due to VGLUT1 downregulation in injured IA afferents or to complete synaptic disassembly and regression of IA ventral projections, we studied the central trajectories and synaptic varicosities of axon collaterals from control and regenerated afferents with IA-like responses to stretch that were intracellularly filled with neurobiotin. VGLUT1 was present in all synaptic varicosities, identified with the synaptic marker SV2, of control and regenerated afferents. However, regenerated afferents lacked axon collaterals and synapses in lamina IX. In conjunction with the companion electrophysiological study [Bullinger KL, Nardelli P, Pinter MJ, Alvarez FJ, Cope TC. J Neurophysiol (August 10, 2011). doi:10.1152/jn.01097.2010], we conclude that peripheral nerve injuries cause a permanent retraction of IA afferent synaptic varicosities from lamina IX and disconnection with motoneurons that is not recovered after peripheral regeneration and reinnervation of muscle by sensory and motor axons.


2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. E9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard B. Boyer ◽  
Nathaniel D. Kelm ◽  
D. Colton Riley ◽  
Kevin W. Sexton ◽  
Alonda C. Pollins ◽  
...  

Diagnosis and management of peripheral nerve injury is complicated by the inability to assess microstructural features of injured nerve fibers via clinical examination and electrophysiology. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) has been shown to accurately detect nerve injury and regeneration in crush models of peripheral nerve injury, but no prior studies have been conducted on nerve transection, a surgical emergency that can lead to permanent weakness or paralysis. Acute sciatic nerve injuries were performed microsurgically to produce multiple grades of nerve transection in rats that were harvested 1 hour after surgery. High-resolution diffusion tensor images from ex vivo sciatic nerves were obtained using diffusion-weighted spin-echo acquisitions at 4.7 T. Fractional anisotropy was significantly reduced at the injury sites of transected rats compared with sham rats. Additionally, minor eigenvalues and radial diffusivity were profoundly elevated at all injury sites and were negatively correlated to the degree of injury. Diffusion tensor tractography showed discontinuities at all injury sites and significantly reduced continuous tract counts. These findings demonstrate that high-resolution DTI is a promising tool for acute diagnosis and grading of traumatic peripheral nerve injuries.


RSC Advances ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (49) ◽  
pp. 28627-28635 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiqiang Huang ◽  
Zhenzhao Guo ◽  
Manman Sun ◽  
Shaomao Fang ◽  
Hong Li

Electrical stimulation (ES) provides an effective alternative to peripheral nerve repair via conductive scaffolds.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shimon Rochkind ◽  
Zvi Nevo

Objective. Guiding Regeneration Gel (GRG) was developed in response to the clinical need of improving treatment for peripheral nerve injuries and helping patients regenerate massive regional losses in peripheral nerves. The efficacy of GRG based on tissue engineering technology for the treatment of complete peripheral nerve injury with significant loss defect was investigated.Background. Many severe peripheral nerve injuries can only be treated through surgical reconstructive procedures. Such procedures are challenging, since functional recovery is slow and can be unsatisfactory. One of the most promising solutions already in clinical practice is synthetic nerve conduits connecting the ends of damaged nerve supporting nerve regeneration. However, this solution still does not enable recovery of massive nerve loss defect.The proposed technologyis a biocompatible and biodegradable gel enhancing axonal growth and nerve regeneration. It is composed of a complex of substances comprising transparent, highly viscous gel resembling the extracellular matrix that is almost impermeable to liquids and gasses, flexible, elastic, malleable, and adaptable to various shapes and formats.Preclinical studyon rat model of peripheral nerve injury showed that GRG enhanced nerve regeneration when placed in nerve conduits, enabling recovery of massive nerve loss, previously unbridgeable, and enabled nerve regeneration at least as good as with autologous nerve graft “gold standard” treatment.


Hand Surgery ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 07 (01) ◽  
pp. 83-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith A. Bell Krotoski

Any restoration of hand function following tendon and nerve injury has to include the repair or replacement of the hand's ability to perform a great many tasks. It is hard at first to appreciate fully the loss that occurs with flexor tendon injury. With loss of flexor tendons operating at the fingers or thumb, they cannot be fully closed and the hand is impaired for grasp and release as it interfaces with objects. But, sensibility can also be compromised from tendon injury even without direct injury to nerve, as object recognition in the absence of vision requires finger movement. When peripheral nerve injury is combined with flexor tendon injury, sensibility is directly impaired. There is a loss in the sense of finger or thumb position, pain, temperature, and touch/pressure recognition, in addition to the tendon injury.


2022 ◽  
Vol 10 (A) ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Riki Sukiandra ◽  
Eti Yerizel ◽  
Yuliarni Syafrita ◽  
Eryati Darwin

BACKGROUND: Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and inducible Nitric oxide Synthase (iNOS) have an effect on neuropathic pain in the inflammatory process in peripheral nerve injuries. AIM: This study aims to examine the effect of anti-IL-6 receptor antibody on IL-6 and iNOS levels as a consideration for the treatment of neuropathic pain in a rat model of peripheral nerve injury. METHODS: Twenty-eight young adult male Wistar rats were treated for peripheral nerve injury and then divided into two groups. Fourteen treatment groups (Group P) were given anti-IL-6 receptor antibody by injection at a dose of 100 g/day by injection into the saphenous vein in the rat’s leg for 3 days. In both groups, the serum IL-6 and iNOS levels were assessed on the 3rd day after administration of anti-IL-6 receptor antibody in group P, using the sandwich ELISA method. RESULTS: The results showed that the administration of anti-IL-6 receptor antibody did not have a significant effect on reducing IL-6 and iNOS levels in group P (p > 0.05). Administration of anti-IL-6 receptor antibody had more effect on IL-6 levels on iNOS levels, where a decrease in IL-6 levels caused a decrease in iNOS levels in group P (p = 0.004 and r = 0.693). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the present administration of anti-IL-6 receptor antibody cannot be considered as a treatment for neuropathic pain in peripheral nerve injuries, but can be used to influence IL-6 levels on iNOS levels.


2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (11) ◽  
pp. 3672
Author(s):  
S. Dhanaraju ◽  
N. Kannan

Background: A major problem in surgery of median nerve injuries is the unpredictable final outcome, so identifying the prognostic factors for final outcome is needed in primary median nerve repair following injury. Assessing the functional recovery of hand function following median nerve repair.Methods: Total no. of patients with median nerve injury repaired in our institution was 70. All the patients assessed preoperatively by clinical examination, surgery performed immediately or within 12 hours of injury, performed under axillary block and tourniquet control, Multiple surgeons involved (about 6 surgeons). All are primarily repaired nerves, repair by 70 prolene epineural sutures, postoperative immobilization of 3 weeks.Results: Median nerve injury associated with other flexors involved patients show good functional recovery, the functional recovery deteriorate once involvement of finger flexors, particularly if all the tendons were injured. The arterial injury and repair don’t seem to influence the outcome of the hand function, but both artery involvement usually associated with all tendon injury, it shows poor outcome.Conclusions: The more distal the injury the outcome will be quicker as compared to middle 1/3 and proximal 1/3 injuries. Pure median nerve injuries sensory recovery in S4 grade about 5%, S3+ recovery of sensation is about 36%. Pure median nerve injury patients M4 motor recovery about 54%.Only median nerve injury the final outcome is good but combined median and ulnar nerve injury and associated tendon injury the outcome is poor. 


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