Selectivity in the reinnervation of the lateral gastrocnemius muscle after nerve repair with ethyl cyanoacrylate in the rat

This study compares two methods of repairing damaged nerves in rats: using sutures (stitches) and using a type of glue called ethyl cyanoacrylate (ECA). The goal was to see if one method was better at helping the nerves reconnect to a specific muscle, the lateral gastrocnemius muscle (LGC), after the nerve was cut and repaired. The researchers looked at how well the nerves reconnected by tracking the nerve cells that reached the LGC muscle. They also measured the weight of the muscle to see if it was recovering properly. The results showed that both methods led to similar nerve reconnection, although neither method perfectly restored the original nerve connections. The study suggests that ECA is as good as sutures for repairing nerves, but there's still room for improvement in helping nerves reconnect to the right muscles after an injury.

• 1
  The study found that after nerve repair with both ECA and sutures, the motoneuron pool was markedly disorganized, with motoneurons scattered throughout a larger volume of the spinal cord gray matter.
• 2
  No significant difference in morphometric variables or muscle weight between the two repair methods (ECA and sutures) could be detected.
• 3
  The selectivity of motor reinnervation following sciatic nerve transection and subsequent repair with ECA is comparable to that following conventional micro suturing.