Rabbit facial nerve regeneration in autologous nerve grafts after antecedent injury

The effect of incomplete antecedent injuries on subsequent facial nerve regeneration within cable graft repairs is not known. The purpose of this study is to compare facial nerve regeneration after an immediate and delayed neural cable graft repair.

Rabbit facial nerve regeneration after complete transectional injuries of the buccal division was compared in two experimental models. In one, a 10-mm segment of the nerve was transected, rotated 180 degrees, and immediately repaired as a cable graft (N=8). In the second, a preliminary nerve crush was allowed to recover over a 4-week period and a 10-mm segment of nerve centered on the crush site was then transected, rotated 180 degrees, and delay repaired as a cable graft (N = 7). Data are presented as total numbers of regenerating myelinated axons that traverse the surgical repair to innervate the cable graft and distal nerve stumps, as well as the percentage of regenerating neurites compared with preoperative pooled and individual controls. Subpopulations of regenerating neurons are delineated to quantify the pattern of neural innervation.

Five weeks after cable graft repair both groups had similar myelinated outgrowth from the proximal nerve stump across the proximal anastomosis to innervate the cable graft (3995 +/- 1209 vs. 3284 +/- 651; P = .89). However, the delayed repair group had more intrafascicular regeneration within cable grafts (2261 +/- 931 vs. 1660 +/- 1169; P = .02) and distal nerve stump (1532 +/- 281 vs. 445 +/- 120; P = .004) than the immediate repair group. The immediate repair group had greater extrafascicular nerve regeneration in the cable graft (2335 +/- 1954 vs. 437 +/- 236; P = .001) and more myelin and axonal debris in pre-existing neural fascicles of the cable graft (P = .02) and distal nerve stump (463 +/- 187 vs. 103 +/- 87; P = .02).

Antecedent priming lesions do not enhance axonal survival as determined by regenerating myelinated axonal counts. However, antecedent injuries enhance the efficiency of neural innervation of the affected mimetic musculature by increasing the number of myelinated intrafascicular neural regenerants in the cable graft and distal nerve stump. This is accomplished by two factors: increased perineural fibrosis and decreased intrafascicular myelin and axonal debris.