Experiment on Repairing Facial Nerve Defect Using End-To-Side Neurorrhaphy Combined with NGF

Objective: To investigate a new potential method for repairing the facial nerve defect using end-to-side neurorrhaphy combined with nerve growth factor(NGF). Methods: 24 healthy New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into three groups (each group contain 8 rabbits). Nerve grafting group: after sectioning 1.2cm of the division of facial nerve to the eye lid, nerve grafting was used for bridging the defect. End-to-side neurorrhaphy group: instead of nerve grafting, the distal ending was sutured to the lateral face of the buccal branch of facial nerve after removing a small epineural and perineural window. NGF group: end-to-side neurorrhaphy plus nerve growth factor (NGF) injection were used to repair the facial nerve defect of 1.2 cm. Measure of distance between eyelids and histological analysis were employed 4, 8, 12, 16 weeks after surgery. Results: Histological analysis showed that the regeneration of axon was obvious in all three groups. No significant statistic difference was found between 3 groups. Conclusion: End-to-side neurorrhaphy has some advantages in reconstruction and regeneration of facial nerve.