A stereological study of long-term regeneration of rat severed sciatic nerve repaired by means of muscle-vein-combined grafts.

This study is a stereological analysis, by the 2-D dissector method, on the long-term regeneration of myelinated nerve fibers of the rat sciatic nerve repaired by muscle-vein-combined graft, a surgical technique that has been shown to be a valid tool for the repair of peripheral nerve defects with substance loss. Quantitative analysis showed that the total number and mean density of regenerated myelinated nerve fibers was significantly higher than in control nerves. The contrary was true for fiber mean size. The morpho-quantitative parameters of regenerated fibers from nerves repaired by the muscle-vein-combined graft were similar to those observed in rats where nerve defects were repaired by direct nerve suture thus confirming the validity of this surgical technique.