Application of Epiperineurial Procedure to Sharp Injuries in 21 Patients with Body Nerve Dissection Hospitalized in Taleghani and Bistoon During 2002-4

Introduction: Nerve repair is performed in different ways, but which way leads to better results is not known for ceratin. One way is epiperineurial procedure. In this method the fasicules of the nerve are sawn together by thin thread separately. This study aimed to investigate the results of epiperineurial method.

Materials and Methods: In this study 21 subjects who were admitted in Taleghani and Bistoon Hospitals and whose injured nerves were repaired by epiperineurial method during 2 years, were selected as sample group. Following operation the injured organ was plasted for 4 weeks and fixed for 2 weeks. The results of operation were tested by Tinle Sign and clinical examination, and 3 months later the sense and movement of the organ were restudied by electromyography (EMG) and NCV. To gather the data a questionnaire was designed. The gathered data were analyzed by descriptive statistics.

Results: 47% of cases had median nerve injury, 33.4 ulnar and 9.5 radial. For peroneal and digital nerves there was only one case for each type. 70% of median nerve repairs were good, and 30% were excellent. 71.4 of ulnar nerve repairs, were good and 28.6 were excellent. Both of radial cases were good and both peroneal and digital nerve repairs were excellent. 25% of subjects whose injured nerves were repaired in less than 3 days after injury were completely satisfied and 75% of them were satisfied. 20% of subjects whose injured nerves were repaired during 4 to 7 days were completely satisfied,70% were satisfied and 10% (just one case) was unsatisfied. All subjects whose injured nerves were restored during more than one week, were nearly satisfied. The operation outcome for 62.5 of those subjects whose injured nerves were restored in less than 3 days was good and for 37.5 of them was excellent. For 70% of those subjects whose injured nerves were restored during 4 days the operation outcome was good and for 30% it was excellent. Finally, the operation outcome for all subjects whose injured nerves were repaired in more than one week was nearly good.

Conclusion: The results of current study show that hands’ nerves are more exposed to injury. Findings also indicate that employing epiperineurial method can have better results than employing other current methods. Therefore employing this method for nerve repair is recommended.