Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · Mar 2023
Successful retrograde regeneration using a sensory branch for motor nerve transfer.
The objective of this study was to test whether regenerating motor axons from a donor nerve can travel in a retrograde fashion using sensory branches to successfully reinnervate a motor nerve end organ. ⋯ Sensory branches can transmit regenerating axons from donor nerves back to main mixed recipient nerves, then distally toward target organs. The extent of retrograde regeneration is markedly influenced by the type and severity of injury sustained by the recipient nerve. Using a sensory branch as a bridge for retrogradely regenerating axons can open new potential horizons in nerve repair surgery for severely injured mixed nerves.