The repair of large peripheral nerves using skeletal muscle autografts: a comparison with cable grafts in the sheep femoral nerve.

Recovery of morphological characteristics was compared in the femoral nerves of sheep at varying times up to 10 months after nerve repair. Groups of sheep receiving coaxially aligned freeze-thawed skeletal muscle autografts were compared with those receiving three-strand cable grafts made from autogenous cutaneous nerve. At all times after implantation more nerve fibres could be counted distal to the muscle grafts than distal to cable grafts. Indices of nerve fibre maturation were indistinguishable between the two groups at 10 months. The results are discussed in relation to the possible use of the technique for repairing large mixed nerves.