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J Reconstr Microsurg 1996; 12(3): 149-152
DOI: 10.1055/s-2007-1006468
ORIGINAL ARTICLE

© 1996 by Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc.

The Use of Cultured Schwann Cells in Nerve Repair in a Rabbit Hind-Limb Model

Richard E. Brown, Detlev Erdmann, Sharon F. Lyons, Hans Suchy
  • Institute for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, Illinois
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Publication History

Accepted for publication 1995

Publication Date:
08 March 2008 (online)

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ABSTRACT

A 3-cm peripheral nerve gap in a rabbit hind-limb model was repaired by using a polyglycolic acid (PGA) conduit filled with a gelatin/Schwann-cell suspension. Postoperative nerve function after 16 weeks, as measured by isometric twitch and tetanic muscle strengths, and nerve conduction velocities, failed to demonstrate a statistically significant difference, compared to a control group in which the nerve gap was reconstructed by using a PGA conduit filled with gelatin only. The 3-cm gap in the described model may not have been long enough to show a significant difference between the two groups. Alternatively, the transferred cultured Schwann cells may have been functionally inactive.