Bridging short nerve defects by direct repair under tension, nerve grafts or longitudinal sutures.

PURPOSE: To compare the longitudinal suture model for bridging nerve defects with direct approximation under tension or with autologuos nerve grafting. METHODS: Seven mm nerve defects in the rat sciatic nerve were repaired by either of these three methods. Evaluation was performed at twelve weeks by morphometry of the tibial nerve distal to the repair site and by weight of the gastrocnemius muscle, an indicator of target reinnervation. RESULTS: The number of nerve fibers and myelin areas in the tibial nerve were similar for all repair methods as were the weight of the gastrocnemius muscle. CONCLUSIONS: Longitudinal sutures can be used to bridge short nerve defects and could be an alternative to nerve grafting.