[Value of various suture materials for defect reconstruction of peripheral nerves]

A total of 40 surgical procedures were performed for bridging defects of the peronaeus nerve in 20 experimental animals (White Russian rabbits) with absorbable and non-absorbable suture materials. To investigate whether differences in the biological behaviour of suture materials may influence the formation of axons in the coaptation areas positively or negatively, the nerves were examined histologically and electrophysiologically and the regeneration process in the m. tibialis anterior, the reacting organ of the n. peronaeus, was assessed by histomorphometric quantification. Despite minor deviations in absolute values, significance tests and statistical evaluation with Wilcoxon's test revealed no significant differences among the groups. We could show that differences in biological behaviour of absorbable and non-absorbable suture materials are without influence on nerve regeneration in the proximal and distal coaptation areas and therefore without effect on the final results of nerve regeneration in defect areas.