Nerve repair by end-to-side coaptation or fascicular transfer: a clinical study.

End-to-side nerve repair has recently achieved special interest in the laboratory. In clinical practice, its use remains controversial and very few studies have been published. In the present report, nerve repair by end-to-side neurorrhaphy and by fascicular transfer is evaluated in seven patients. Clinical, electrophysiologic and histologic recovery was not observed in the patients who underwent end-to-side nerve coaptation, but recovery was observed when a fascicular transfer was performed.