Related Experiment Videos
Intrinsic reinnervation--myth or reality?
R L Lester1, P J Smith, G Mott
1RAFT Department of Research in Plastic Surgery, Mount Vernon Hospital, Northwood, Middlesex, UK.
Journal of Hand Surgery (Edinburgh, Scotland)
|August 1, 1993
Summary
Electrical recovery in intrinsic hand muscles after nerve transection is common, even without clinical function. Clinically significant strength emerges when reinnervation reaches 50% of the opposite side's muscle response.
Area of Science:
- Neurosurgery
- Neurology
- Clinical Electrophysiology
Background:
- Major nerve transections at the wrist can lead to significant functional deficits.
- Assessing functional recovery after nerve injury is crucial for patient outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between electrical recovery and clinical function in intrinsic hand muscles following nerve transection.
- To identify a threshold for electrical reinnervation that predicts clinically detectable muscle power.
Main Methods:
- A clinical and electromyographic (EMG) study was conducted on 22 patients with major nerve transections at the wrist.
- Evoked muscle action potentials were measured and compared to the contralateral side.
Main Results:
- Electrical recovery in intrinsic hand muscles was observed in nearly all patients, irrespective of clinical function.
- A reinnervation level of 50% of the contralateral maximum evoked muscle action potential was associated with clinically detectable intrinsic muscle power.
Conclusions:
- Electrical recovery in intrinsic hand muscles after nerve transection is a frequent occurrence.
- A specific threshold of electrical reinnervation (50% of contralateral maximum) is indicative of meaningful clinical functional recovery.