Outcome of Finger Extension After Nerve Transfer to Repair C7-T1 Brachial Plexus Palsy in Rats: Comparative Study of the Supinator Motor Branch Transfer to the Posterior Interosseous Nerve and the Contralateral C7 Transfer to the Lower Trunk.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Functional recovery following supinator motor branch transfer requires further investigation.

OBJECTIVE:

To compare the outcome of finger extension after supinator motor branch transfer or contralateral C7 (cC7) transfer in C7-T1 brachial plexus palsies in rats.

METHODS:

In this study, 120 adult rats underwent C7-T1 nerve root avulsion and received different nerve transfer repairs: group A, cC7 nerve transfer to the lower trunk; group B, supinator motor branch nerve transfer to the posterior interosseous nerve (PIN); and group C, no repair. The ethology of the rats, latency and amplitude of the compound muscle action potential from the PIN, muscle mass and muscle fiber cross-sectional area of the extensor digitorum communis and extensor carpi ulnaris, and number of myelinated nerve fibers in the PIN were examined postoperatively.

RESULTS:

There was no finger extension in group C. We observed finger extension in groups A and B 50.2 ± 5.66 and 13.1 ± 2.08 days postoperatively, respectively. Finger extension restoration in group B was greater than that in group A at 4, 8, and 12 weeks postoperatively ( P < .05). Sixteen weeks after surgery, the recovery rate of the myelinated nerve fibers in group A was marginally higher than that in group B, but the difference was not significant. Of the other measured values, group B showed a greater and significant improvement compared to group A ( P < .05).

CONCLUSION:

Supinator motor branch transfer allows for faster recovery and is a more effective procedure for restoring finger extension in C7-T1 brachial plexus palsies.

• Authors: Lei Zhang, Chun-Lin Zhang, Zhen Dong, Yu-Dong Gu
• Journal: Neurosurgery (Neurosurgery) Vol. 80 Issue 4 Pg. 627-634 (04 01 2017) ISSN: 1524-4040 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 28362931 (Publication Type: Comparative Study, Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2017 by the Congress of Neurological Surgeons

Topics

• Animals
• Brachial Plexus (physiopathology, surgery)
• Brachial Plexus Neuropathies (physiopathology, surgery)
• Male
• Muscle, Skeletal (innervation)
• Nerve Transfer (methods)
• Peripheral Nerves (transplantation)
• Rats
• Recovery of Function (physiology)
• Wound Healing (physiology)