Evaluation of the effects of a polyglycolic acid-collagen tube in the regeneration of facial nerve defects in rats.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to assess the utility of a polyglycolic acid-collagen tube and to investigate its possible application in the field of facial nerve reconstruction.

METHODS

Wistar rats were used in this study. In the operation, a periauricular incision was made to expose the buccal and marginal branches of the facial nerve. Gaps of 10 mm were created by resection of a part of the nerve into the marginal branches and the buccal branch of the left facial nerve. The left marginal branch gap was bridged with a 10-mm polyglycolic acid-collagen tube or an autograft. At 12 weeks after the operation, nerve regeneration was assessed based on clinical, histopathological, and electrophysiological evaluations.

RESULT

The functional recovery of the vibrissal muscle was observed with the polyglycolic acid-collagen tube. However, the functional recovery obtained with the use of the polyglycolic acid-collagen tube was inferior to that obtained with an autograft.

CONCLUSION

We found that polyglycolic acid-collagen tubes could be applied in facial nerve gap reconstruction. However, further improvements will be necessary to achieve results that are equivalent to those obtained with autografts.