This study investigates the use of a biodegradable polymer tube filled with collagen sponge to bridge severed nerve ends in a canine model. The procedure aims to support nerve regeneration following injury to the inferior alveolar nerve.
Take an anesthetized canine model with an injury in the inferior alveolar nerve or IAN, a peripheral nerve responsible for sensory function in the lower jaw.
A biodegradable polymer tube filled with a collagen sponge bridges the severed nerve ends and supports nerve regeneration.
Shave the left chest and cover it with a drape. Incise the skin and dissect the muscles to expose the second and third ribs.
Cut between the ribs to access the left cervical sympathetic ganglion, which regulates vasoconstriction in the lower jaw.
Inject ethanol into the ganglion and close the incision.
The ethanol damages neurons, thereby disrupting ganglion function and blocking vasoconstrictive signals.
This cervical sympathetic ganglion block induces persistent vasodilation, increasing oxygen and nutrient delivery to the injury site.
Meanwhile, Schwann cells adhere to the collagen matrix, forming regeneration tracks that guide axonal outgrowth.
As axons elongate and remyelinate, the scaffold degrades, leaving behind a regenerated nerve.
One week after the reconstruction procedure, shave the surgical field. Then draw an incision line on the left side of the surgical area, and use a 21 gauge needle to inject 5 milliliters of 1% lidocaine into the shaved chest as a local anesthetic and analgesic. Using a number 10 scalpel blade, make an incision over the marked line, and use an electric scalpel to incise the fat layer to expose the muscle fascia.
Expose the serratus ventralis and scalenus muscles. Raise the muscles from ventral to dorsal to expose the second and third ribs. Perform a left lateral thoracotomy at the second and third intercostal space to expose the left cervical sympathetic ganglion.
Use a 30 gauge needle to inject 0.2 milliliters of 99.5% ethanol into the cervical sympathetic ganglion. The cervical sympathetic ganglion is degeneratively changed by ethanol. Then close the intercostal space with interrupted 1.0 absorbable stitches. Close the skin with interrupted 3.0 nylon stitches, and measure the facial skin temperature with infrared thermography one week after the Cervical Sympathetic Ganglion Block, or CSGB.
繁體中文
