Millesi Elena, Suchyta Marissa, Wang Huan, Mardini Samir
From the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.
Division of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2023 Oct 18;11(10):e5344. doi: 10.1097/GOX.0000000000005344. eCollection 2023 Oct.
Nerve transfer from the masseteric branch of the trigeminal nerve is a widely performed procedure for facial reanimation. Despite achieving powerful muscle force, clinical and aesthetic results leave room for improvement. Preclinical animal models are invaluable to establishing new therapeutic approaches. This anatomical study aimed to establish a masseteric-to-zygomatic nerve transfer model in rats and pigs.
The masseteric branch of the trigeminal nerve and the zygomatic branch of the facial nerve were dissected in 30 swine and 40 rat hemifaces. Both nerves were mobilized and approximated to achieve an overlap between the nerve ends. Over the course of dissecting both nerves, their anatomy, length, and branching pattern were documented. At the coaptation point, diameters of both nerves were measured, and samples were taken for neuromorphometric analysis.
Anatomic details and landmarks were described. Tension-free coaptation was possible in all rat and pig dissections. In rats, the masseteric branch had an average diameter of 0.36 mm (±0.06), and the zygomatic branch average diameter was 0.46 mm (±0.13). In pigs, the masseteric branch measured 0.52 (±0.16) mm and the zygomatic branch, 0.59 (±0.16) mm. No significant differences were found between the diameters and axon counts of both nerves in pigs. In rats, however, their diameters, axon counts, and fascicular areas were significantly different.
Our study demonstrated the feasibility of direct masseteric-to-zygomatic nerve transfer in rats and pigs and provided general anatomic knowledge of both nerves.
三叉神经咬肌支神经移位是一种广泛应用于面部重建的手术。尽管能产生强大的肌肉力量，但临床和美学效果仍有改进空间。临床前动物模型对于建立新的治疗方法非常重要。本解剖学研究旨在建立大鼠和猪的咬肌神经至颧神经移位模型。
在30头猪和40个大鼠半侧面部解剖三叉神经咬肌支和面神经颧支。游离并拉近两根神经，使神经断端重叠。在解剖两根神经的过程中，记录它们的解剖结构、长度和分支模式。在吻合点处，测量两根神经的直径，并取样本进行神经形态计量分析。
描述了解剖细节和标志。在所有大鼠和猪的解剖中均能实现无张力吻合。在大鼠中，咬肌支平均直径为0.36毫米（±0.06），颧支平均直径为0.46毫米（±0.13）。在猪中，咬肌支直径为0.52（±0.16）毫米，颧支为0.59（±0.16）毫米。猪的两根神经在直径和轴突数量上没有显著差异。然而，在大鼠中，它们的直径、轴突数量和束状区域存在显著差异。
我们的研究证明了大鼠和猪直接进行咬肌神经至颧神经移位的可行性，并提供了两根神经的一般解剖学知识。
