Immediate return of sensation after digital nerve repair

Ten patients with immediate return of sensation after digital nerve repair were tested for sensibility and showed an early improvement followed by deterioration at the third week. Animal experiments to test the electrophysiology of the sural nerves in the rabbit after microrepair failed to show nerve impulse conducted across the anastomosis immediately after repair. Further clinical observations including nerve blocks supported the hypothesis of overlap innervation as the explanation for immediate return of sensibility