A comparison of epineurial, perineurial and epiperineurial methods of nerve suture.

An experimental study was designed to compare the effectiveness of epineurial, perineurial, and combined epineurial and perineurial suture after laceration of the sciatic nerve in rabbits by measuring biochemical determinations in the distal stump of the nerve after both immediate and delayed repairs. Relatively more myelin was found in the immediate epineurial group, which suggests that nerve regeneration was most rapid in this group. Additional experiments are needed to evaluate end-organ reinnervation which is another criterion for evaluating the best method of nerve suture in clinical situations.