Comparison of Nerve Repair Surgery for Inferior Alveolar Nerve
The most common form of inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) damage in dentistry is partial nerve amputation. Surgical repair is necessary for this condition and when it is left untreated for long periods, neural scarring can cause symptoms of allodynia. Several approaches with microneurosurgery and regeneration materials exist for nerve repair however no definite treatment method has been established. In order to identify the best neurosurgical treatment for partial nerve amputation, damages were applied to the IAN of rabbits and histopathological observations were investigated and compared.
Material and method
Partial nerve amputation injuries were applied to the IAN of rabbits then nerve repair surgery were performed. Nerve repair surgery established 3 groups (‡@non coating group ,‡APGA coating group,‡Bblood vessel vein group) and histomorphometric observations were recorded at 4, 8 weeks.
Result
Non coating group : The histopathological views accepted the views of the neural scar.
PGA coating group, Blood vessel vein piece group : The invasion of the fibrous connective tissue was slight and accepted the reproduction of the nerve fiber.
Discussion
Histopathological observations demonstrated that nerve regeneration occurred in the PGA coated and single blood vessel vein group in comparison to the control. This observation indicates the importance of having a coating material during nerve repair surgery.
We hope to advance in our studies and contribute to future treatments by evaluating nerve injury through electrophysiological neurological function evaluation and sensory nerve action potentials (SNAP).