Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

A Single Postoperative Application of Defocused Low-Energy ESWT Does Not Significantly Enhance Regeneration of the Rat Median Nerve Following Reconstruction with Autologous Nerve Grafts or Muscle-In-Vein Conduits

Johannes Christoph Heinzel
,
Viola Oberhauser
,
Claudia Keibl
,
Barbara Schädl
ORCID logo ,
Nicole Victoria Swiadek
,
Gregor Längle
,
Helen Frick
,
Cyrill Slezak
,
Cosima Prahm
,
Johannes Grillari
,
Jonas Kolbenschlag
,
David Hercher
* ORCID logo
Version 1 : Received: 14 June 2022 / Approved: 17 June 2022 / Online: 17 June 2022 (03:17:43 CEST)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Heinzel, J.C.; Oberhauser, V.; Keibl, C.; Schädl, B.; Swiadek, N.V.; Längle, G.; Frick, H.; Slezak, C.; Prahm, C.; Grillari, J.; Kolbenschlag, J.; Hercher, D. ESWT Diminishes Axonal Regeneration following Repair of the Rat Median Nerve with Muscle-In-Vein Conduits but Not after Autologous Nerve Grafting. Biomedicines 2022, 10, 1777. Heinzel, J.C.; Oberhauser, V.; Keibl, C.; Schädl, B.; Swiadek, N.V.; Längle, G.; Frick, H.; Slezak, C.; Prahm, C.; Grillari, J.; Kolbenschlag, J.; Hercher, D. ESWT Diminishes Axonal Regeneration following Repair of the Rat Median Nerve with Muscle-In-Vein Conduits but Not after Autologous Nerve Grafting. Biomedicines 2022, 10, 1777.

Abstract

Investigations reporting positive effects of Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT) on nerve regeneration are limited to the rat sciatic nerve model. The effects of ESWT on muscle-in-vein conduits (MVCs) have also not been investigated yet. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of ESWT after repair of the rat median nerve with either autografts (ANGs) or MVCs. In male Lewis rats, a 7-mm segment of the right median nerve was reconstructed either with an ANG or MVC. For each reconstructive technique, one group of animals received one application of ESWT while the other rats served as controls. Animals were observed for 12 weeks and nerve regeneration was assessed via computerized gait analysis, the grasping test, electrophysiological evaluations and histological quantification of axons, blood vessels and lymphatic vasculature. Here we provide for the first time a comprehensive analysis of ESWT effects on nerve regeneration in a rat model of median nerve injury. Furthermore, this study is among the first reporting the quantification of lymphatic vessels following peripheral nerve injury and reconstruction in vivo. While we found no significant direct positive effects of ESWT on peripheral nerve regeneration, results following nerve repair with MVCs were significantly inferior to those after ANG repair.

Keywords

nerve repair; median nerve; rat; autologous nerve graft; muscle-in-vein conduit; extracorporeal shock wave therapy; grasping test; gait analysis; CatWalk, nerve regeneration

Subject

Biology and Life Sciences, Neuroscience and Neurology

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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