A study of nerve regeneration and neuroma formation after nerve suture by various techniques.

The effectiveness of epineurial, perineurial, and a combined epiperineurial methods of nerve suture in the severed sciatic nerve of rabbits was studied by biochemical assay of the collagen just distal to the neuroma and the collagen and myelin of the posterior tibial nerve. Repairs were done both immediately after severance and in a separate group 3 weeks later. More collagen was found near the neuroma in the immediate epineurial group, but 60 per cent of the normal myelin was found in the posterior tibial nerve after the immediate epineural suture compared to 28.3 per cent in the immediate perineurial group.