Tattooing agents for nerve marking in experimental surgery.

Area of Science:

• Surgical Innovation
• Experimental Neuroscience
• Biomaterials in Surgery

Background:

• Experimental nerve surgery often requires marking lesions in continuity that lack visible post-operative signs.
• Current methods using non-resorbable sutures are not atraumatic and prone to displacement.
• A need exists for a reliable, permanent, and minimally invasive nerve marking technique in research settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy and safety of carbon tattoo pigment for permanent marking of experimental nerve lesions.
• To compare this novel technique against traditional suture marking methods in terms of reliability and tissue response.

Main Methods:

• Carbon tattoo pigment was applied to mark nerve lesion sites in 12 New Zealand White rabbits undergoing nerve regeneration surgery.
• A total of 56 tattoo marks were placed.
• Nerve sites were re-evaluated during subsequent surgeries at 4 and 15 weeks post-procedure, followed by histologic examination.

Main Results:

• Carbon pigment spots remained well-preserved and clearly visible during follow-up surgeries.
• Histologic analysis confirmed carbon granule presence in the epineurium without inducing inflammation.
• The method proved atraumatic and stable, with no evidence of pigment displacement.

Conclusions:

• Carbon tattoo pigment provides a simple, inert, and permanent solution for marking experimental nerve lesions.
• This technique offers reliable identification of nerve sites over extended periods.
• The method is recommended for use in experimental animal models due to its atraumatic nature and efficacy.