Morphometric and Functional Recovery of Sciatic Nerve Injury Bridging by Chitin Conduit with a Small Gap

Inhalt:
Previous research has demonstrated that chitin conduits with small gaps (2-3 mm) effectively promote the regeneration of injured peripheral nerves. The combination evaluation excellent and good rate of conduit bridging with small gaps (approximately 36.19%) significantly exceeds that of traditional epineurial neurorrhaphy. This surgical technique offers a valuable biological model for observing early peripheral nerve regeneration. In the present study, we investigated the degenerative and regenerative processes of the injured sciatic nerve, assessing the sciatic functional index (SFI) and the wet weight ratio of the gastrocnemius muscle. Results demonstrated that both proximal and distal nerve ends underwent typical degeneration within the first 7 days post-injury. Regeneration in the proximal nerve fibers began on day 10, while distal nerve fibers started regenerating between days 14 and 21. By 60 days post-injury, the number and maturity of distal nerve fibers nearly returned to normal levels. The SFI and wet weight ratio of the gastrocnemius muscle showed muscle atrophy and decreased function within 14 days of injury. As the sciatic nerve structure gradually recovered, muscle atrophy and motor function were restored. These findings provide critical insights into the changes occurring during chitin conduit-bridged sciatic nerve injury, and supporting the conduit-based small-gap tubulization for peripheral nerve repair in multicenter human trials.