Nerve allograft with recipient plasma cryopreservation for bridging of nerve defects: An experimental morphological study

Objective To observe the result of recipient plasma cryopreserved nerve allograft, and evaluate its effect of promotion nerve regeneration. Methods Nerve defect 3 cm in length was made in the median nerves of both limbs of 16 dogs. The nerve of the left side was bridged with nerve allograft cryopreserved in recipient plasma. The nerve of the right side served as control and was bridged with simple cryopreserved nerve allograft. At different postoperative intervals (7 days, 21 days, 90 days and 180 days), histological observation and quantitative analysis with image analysis system were carried out. Results With prolongation of postoperative time, the numbers of regenerating nerve fibers of the left side were more than those of the right side. Meanwhile, there were less collagenous fibrils of the connective tissues among nerve fibers on the left side than on the right side. Conclusions Nerve allograft cryopreserved in recipient plasma is a good candidate for bridging of nerve defect in that it resulted in better nerve regeneration than allografts with simple cryopreservation.