Abstract
There has been an increased number of studies of nerve transection injuries with the sciatic nerve gap-injury model in the rabbit in the past 2 years. We wanted to define in greater detail what is needed to test artificial nerve guides in a sciatic nerve gap-injury model in the rabbit. We hope that this will help investigators to fully exploit the robust translational potential of the rabbit sciatic nerve gap-injury model in its capacity to test devices whose diameter and length are in the range of those commonly applied in hand and wrist surgery (diameter ranging between 2 and 4 mm; length up to 30 mm). We suggest that the rabbit model should replace the less translational rat model in nerve regeneration research. The rabbit sciatic model, however, requires an effective strategy to prevent and control self-mutilation of the foot in the postoperative period, and to prevent pressure ulcers.
Highlights
Peripheral nerve regeneration after a nerve-gap injury may be assisted by artificial devices called nerve guides [1]
The small volume, length, and diameter of the rat sciatic nerve restricts the dimensions of the devices that can be tested; this, in turn, reduces the model translational potential
Research on artificial nerve guides has been mostly aimed at obtaining guides that will be more effective in gap lesions longer than 20 mm, but the study of guides longer than 20 mm is impossible in the rat sciatic model, because there is not enough space in the rat sciatic compartment
Summary
Peripheral nerve regeneration after a nerve-gap injury may be assisted by artificial devices called nerve guides (or “nerve-conduits” or “nerve-cuffs”) [1]. It is necessary to address these problems to fully exploit the robust translational potential of the rabbit sciatic nerve gap-injury model in its capacity to test devices whose diameter and length are in the range of those commonly applied in hand and wrist surgery (diameter ranging between 2 and 4 mm; length not longer than 30 mm). Another relevant advantage is that (for the above mentioned reasons) the rabbit model can provide both a first stage testing model for artificial nerve guides but, at the same time, an adequate preclinical model
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