The role of the neuroma in autotomy following sciatic nerve section in rats

A delay in the formation of the terminal neuroma following sciatic nerve section in rats was obtained by means of free nerve grafts sutured to the proximal stump of the sectioned sciatic nerve branches. The automutilating behaviour in these animals was statistically compared with that which follows single sciatic section and sciatic section plus end-to-end suture. The results showed that in animals with grafted nerve stumps, autotomy begins significantly later than in those with single sciatic section. However, when the self-mutilation started, it followed the same increasing evolution in both groups. These results suggest that autotomy after a nerve section is behaviour related to the aparition and nature of the terminal neuroma.