Biomaterial Database

An experimental study of three methods of lingual nerve defect repair. 1995

K G Smith, and P P Robinson

Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Clinical Dentistry, University of Sheffield, Claremont Crescent, England.

OBJECTIVE This study compares three methods of lingual nerve defect repair. METHODS The recovery of the mechanosensitive and thermosensitive afferent fibers in the lingual branch of the trigeminal nerve in cats was studied using electrophysiological techniques 24 weeks after the removal of a segment of lingual nerve and repair of the defect by one of three methods. The nerve gap was closed by either stretching the nerve ends together and repairing under tension, insertion of a sural nerve graft, or use of a freeze-thawed muscle graft. The characteristics of the regenerated fibers were investigated and the data were compared with that from normal control animals. RESULTS After nerve repair, integrated whole-nerve activity evoked by thermal (cold) stimulation of the tongue was smaller than in the controls, but there were no differences between the repaired groups. However, recordings made from single axons in filaments dissected from the nerve revealed differences between the groups; the units were less sensitive after either method of grafting than after stretch repair. CONCLUSIONS It is concluded that repair of a short gap in the lingual nerve by stretch repair with an end-to-end anastomosis, even with some degree of tension, is followed by better recovery than by grafting. However, where a graft is necessary, a similar level of recovery will result from use of a frozen muscle graft or a sural nerve graft.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008036	Lingual Nerve	A sensory branch of the MANDIBULAR NERVE, which is part of the trigeminal (5th cranial) nerve. The lingual nerve carries general afferent fibers from the anterior two-thirds of the tongue, the floor of the mouth, and the mandibular gingivae.	Lingual Nerves,Nerve, Lingual,Nerves, Lingual
D008465	Mechanoreceptors	Cells specialized to transduce mechanical stimuli and relay that information centrally in the nervous system. Mechanoreceptor cells include the INNER EAR hair cells, which mediate hearing and balance, and the various somatosensory receptors, often with non-neural accessory structures.	Golgi Tendon Organ,Golgi Tendon Organs,Krause's End Bulb,Krause's End Bulbs,Mechanoreceptor,Mechanoreceptor Cell,Meissner's Corpuscle,Neurotendinous Spindle,Neurotendinous Spindles,Receptors, Stretch,Ruffini's Corpuscle,Ruffini's Corpuscles,Stretch Receptor,Stretch Receptors,Mechanoreceptor Cells,Bulb, Krause's End,Bulbs, Krause's End,Cell, Mechanoreceptor,Cells, Mechanoreceptor,Corpuscle, Meissner's,Corpuscle, Ruffini's,Corpuscles, Ruffini's,End Bulb, Krause's,End Bulbs, Krause's,Krause End Bulb,Krause End Bulbs,Krauses End Bulb,Krauses End Bulbs,Meissner Corpuscle,Meissners Corpuscle,Organ, Golgi Tendon,Organs, Golgi Tendon,Receptor, Stretch,Ruffini Corpuscle,Ruffini Corpuscles,Ruffinis Corpuscle,Ruffinis Corpuscles,Spindle, Neurotendinous,Spindles, Neurotendinous,Tendon Organ, Golgi,Tendon Organs, Golgi
D009132	Muscles	Contractile tissue that produces movement in animals.	Muscle Tissue,Muscle,Muscle Tissues,Tissue, Muscle,Tissues, Muscle
D009416	Nerve Regeneration	Renewal or physiological repair of damaged nerve tissue.	Nerve Tissue Regeneration,Nervous Tissue Regeneration,Neural Tissue Regeneration,Nerve Tissue Regenerations,Nervous Tissue Regenerations,Neural Tissue Regenerations,Regeneration, Nerve,Regeneration, Nerve Tissue,Regeneration, Nervous Tissue,Regeneration, Neural Tissue,Tissue Regeneration, Nerve,Tissue Regeneration, Nervous,Tissue Regeneration, Neural
D009431	Neural Conduction	The propagation of the NERVE IMPULSE along the nerve away from the site of an excitation stimulus.	Nerve Conduction,Conduction, Nerve,Conduction, Neural,Conductions, Nerve,Conductions, Neural,Nerve Conductions,Neural Conductions
D002415	Cats	The domestic cat, Felis catus, of the carnivore family FELIDAE, comprising over 30 different breeds. The domestic cat is descended primarily from the wild cat of Africa and extreme southwestern Asia. Though probably present in towns in Palestine as long ago as 7000 years, actual domestication occurred in Egypt about 4000 years ago. (From Walker's Mammals of the World, 6th ed, p801)	Felis catus,Felis domesticus,Domestic Cats,Felis domestica,Felis sylvestris catus,Cat,Cat, Domestic,Cats, Domestic,Domestic Cat
D000200	Action Potentials	Abrupt changes in the membrane potential that sweep along the CELL MEMBRANE of excitable cells in response to excitation stimuli.	Spike Potentials,Nerve Impulses,Action Potential,Impulse, Nerve,Impulses, Nerve,Nerve Impulse,Potential, Action,Potential, Spike,Potentials, Action,Potentials, Spike,Spike Potential
D000714	Anastomosis, Surgical	Surgical union or shunt between ducts, tubes or vessels. It may be end-to-end, end-to-side, side-to-end, or side-to-side.	Surgical Anastomosis,Anastomoses, Surgical,Surgical Anastomoses
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D001369	Axons	Nerve fibers that are capable of rapidly conducting impulses away from the neuron cell body.	Axon