Outcome of human peripheral nerve repair interventions using conduits: a systematic review

Peripheral nerve injury is very common, but repair is a challenging medical problem. Advances in medical sciences and technologies have however made tremendous breakthroughs in understanding repair mechanisms in nerve injury making this a fascinating area in neurotherapeutics. However, a systematic analysis of existing data is lacking, the present study was attempted to review existing literature in nerve repair studies in human beings and analyse outcome systematically.

A detailed search was made from various databases published in the last 10 years. The studies were included based on availability of data on the age of the patients, type of injuries, type of intervention and also on the minimal follow up period. Studies satisfying these criteria were subjected to a homogeneity test. On 263 patients from 3 homogeneous studies outcome parameters such as the functional improvement, sensory and motor recovery parameters were analysed.

Results showed that conduits were safe and significantly more effective compared to the conventional sutures in effecting repair of sensory nerve injuries (Odds ratio 3.78; P < .00001).

In conclusion, repair of human sensory peripheral nerve using conduits is safe and more effective than direct nerve suture.