Vein conduit associated with microsurgical suture for complete collateral digital nerve severance

Area of Science:

• Neurosurgery
• Regenerative Medicine
• Hand Surgery

Background:

• Complete severance of digital nerves often requires surgical repair to restore function.
• Traditional nerve grafting techniques can be associated with complications like neuroma formation and donor site morbidity.
• Optimizing sensory recovery and patient satisfaction after nerve repair remains a clinical challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the long-term outcomes of using vein conduit grafts as a primary treatment for complete digital nerve severance.
• To assess functional recovery, complication rates, and patient satisfaction following this nerve repair technique.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective review of 53 patients undergoing vein conduit grafting for complete digital nerve severance.
• Surgical technique involved epi-perineural suture with a hand vein graft to cover the repaired nerve.
• Outcomes assessed included sensory recovery, neuroma formation, pain, finger function, donor site scarring, and patient satisfaction.

Main Results:

• Good or very good sensibility results were achieved in 67% of patients.
• No patients developed neuromas or spontaneous pain, and all continued to use the injured finger.
• Donor site scarring was minimal or invisible in all cases, with 96% patient satisfaction.

Conclusions:

• Vein conduit grafting is a simple and effective first-line therapy for complete digital nerve severance.
• This technique provides comparable or superior sensory nerve recovery to other methods, avoiding neuroma formation and minimizing donor site scarring.
• High patient satisfaction underscores the clinical utility of vein conduit grafts in digital nerve reconstruction.