Preliminary results and evidence of early regeneration in inferior alveolar nerve fibers.

Inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) damage can occur in trauma, cyst enucleation, sagittal split osteotomy or third molar removal, and the consequences are a loss of sensation to the mandibular teeth, gingiva and lower lip. Because of its anatomical position in a bony canal, IAN suture is rarely evoked. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the reality of IAN regeneration by using electrophysiological and histological methods after experimental section and suture of this nerve in rabbits. Nine adult female animals were used for the experiments. Six months after section and suturing using 10.0 nylon with a conventional technique, electrical stimulation of the nerve was performed to record electrophysiological activity. Each rabbit was its own reference. In each case, an action potential was recorded after microsurgical repair and definitively suppressed by section of the nerve. Morphometric analysis showed a decrease in the number of nerve fibers in the operated nerve versus the control nerve. The histological study showed an increase in nerve fibers with a cross-sectional area of 19–36 and 37–73 µm2 and a decrease in the smaller fibers (2–4 and 5–7 µm2). This preliminary study confirms the possibility of nerve regeneration in rabbits 6 months after section and conventional suturing. The French version of this article is available in the form of electronic supplementary material and can be obtained by using the Springer Link server located at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00276-002-0068-8.