A COMPARATIVE ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL STUDY ON NEUROTISATION IN RATS

A comparative experimental study has been carried out in rats with denervated gastrocnemius muscles. Three groups of five rats were treated by three different types of implantation of nerve directly into muscle (neurotisation). In the fourth group, the common peroneal nerve was sutured to the transected tibia1 nerve. The fifth group was left denervated as a control. The muscles were studied by serial electrodiagnostic studies and later histologically. The results showed little difference between nerve suture and implantation of nerve directly into muscle. Extension of the common peroneal nerve with a pair of sural nerve grafts did not produce a detrimental effect. Journal of Hand Surgery (British Volume, 1991) 16B: 505-510 The possibility of neurotisation of denervated skeletal muscles was suggested by Gersuny (1906). Erlacher (1915) and Steindler (1915) independently described the technique of direct implantation of the proximal stump of a severed nerve into denervated mammalian muscle. Since then there have been numerous reports on the nerve regeneration and innervation of muscles (Mc