Sensory Outcomes Following Nerve Tape Sutureless Neurorrhaphy for Reconstruction of Lingual and Inferior Alveolar
Timothy W Neal1, Yotom Rabinowitz2, John R Zuniga3
1Resident, Department of Surgery, Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Parkland Memorial Hospital, Dallas, TX.
Background:
Trigeminal nerve repair with microsuture techniques provides predictable functional sensory recovery (FSR) outcomes. Recently, Nerve Tape (Biocircuit Technologies, Inc., Atlanta, Georgia), a new sutureless peripheral nerve repair device, has been introduced.
Purpose:
The purpose of this case series was to estimate the rate of FSR following reconstruction of the lingual (LN) and inferior alveolar nerves (IAN) using sutureless neurorrhaphy.
Study Design:
This retrospective case series was composed of subjects who underwent reconstruction of IAN and LN discontinuities using sutureless neurorrhaphy from 2023 to 2025 at the University of Texas Southwestern and Virginia Commonwealth University. Subjects with inadequate follow-up or previous trigeminal nerve repair surgery by another surgeon were excluded.
Predictor Variable:
Not applicable.
Outcome Variable:
The primary outcome variable was time to FSR.
Covariates:
Demographic covariates included age and sex. Preoperative covariates included the nerve injured (LN and IAN), laterality of the injured nerve, and etiology of injury. Operative covariates included the measured nerve gap in centimeters, allograft (yes/no), Sunderland classification found, and injury-to-surgery time in days.
Analyses:
Frequencies and proportions were calculated for categorical data. Means, medians, and standard deviations were calculated for continuous data. Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate the effect of the covariates on the primary outcome, time to FSR. Kaplan-Meier curve was generated to estimate the probability of achieving FSR. A P value of <.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results:
The study sample was composed of 19 subjects who underwent 21 nerve repairs using sutureless neurorrhaphy. There was no significant effect of the covariates on the primary outcome. FSR was achieved in 62% of subjects by 3 months and in 81% by 6 months.
Conclusions:
The estimated FSR rate following trigeminal nerve repair with sutureless neurorrhaphy is within the published FSR range using microsuture neurorrhaphy.