Modern Concepts Of Peripheral Nerve Repair

This book focuses on posttraumatic repair and reconstruction of peripheral nerves. Written by internationally respected specialists, it provides an overview of the challenges and the latest advances in diagnosis and treatment of traumatic peripheral nerve injuries. It presents an outline of state-of the-art procedures from diagnostics, including newest imaging techniques, over conventional and alternative surgical approaches to clinical follow-up and rehabilitation, including the latest concepts to improve functional recovery. The purely clinical topics are preceded by neuroanatomical principles and neurobiological events related to peripheral nerve transection injuries and followed by an outlook on current experimental developments in the area of biomaterials for artificial nerve grafts and peripheral nerve tissue engineering. Peripheral nerve injuries not only affect the nerve tissue at the site of injury, but also target tissue and parts of the central nervous system. They often have dramatic consequences for patients, including loss of sensory and motor functions combined with paresthesia or pain, and a reduced quality of life and ability to work. An adequate understanding of the procedures for proper decision-making and reconstructing peripheral nerves is therefore essential to ensure optimized functional recovery.

This book is the first of two volumes that together offer a comprehensive account of cutting-edge advances in the development of biomaterials for use within tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Topics addressed in this volume, which is devoted to bioinspired biomaterials, range from novel biomaterials for regenerative medicine through to emerging enabling technologies with applications in, for example, drug delivery, maternal–fetal medicine, peripheral nerve repair and regeneration, and brain tumor therapy. New bioinspired hydrogels receive detailed attention in the book, and a further focus is the use of bioinspired biomaterials in the regulation of stem cell fate. Here the coverage includes the role of scaffolds in cartilage regeneration, the bioapplication of inorganic nanomaterials in tissue engineering, and guidance of cell migration to improve tissue regeneration. The authors are recognized experts in the interdisciplinary field of regenerative medicine and the book will be of value for all with an interest in regenerative medicine based on biomaterials.

This updatable book provides an accessible informative overview of the current state of the art in nerve repair research.The introduction includes history of nerve repair research and establishes key concepts and terminology and will be followed by sections that represent the main areas of interest in the field: (1) Biomaterials, (2) Therapeutic Cells, (3) Drug, Gene and Extracellular Vesicle Therapies, (4) Research Models and (5) Clinical Translation. Each section will contain 3 - 6 chapters, capturing the full breadth of relevant technology. Bringing together diverse disciplines under one overarching theme echoes the multidisciplinary approach that underpins modern tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Each chapter will be written in an accessible manner that will facilitate interest and understanding, providing a comprehensive single reference source. The updatable nature of the work will ensure that it can evolve to accommodate future changes and new technologies. The main readership for this work will be researchers and clinicians based in academic, industrial and healthcare settings all over the world.

Peripheral nerve injuries are a high-incidence clinical problem that greatly affects patients' quality of life. Despite continuous refinement of microsurgery techniques, peripheral nerve repair still stands as one of the most challenging tasks in neurosurgery, as functional neuromuscular recovery is rarely satisfactory in these patients. Therefore, the improvement of surgical techniques and the clinical application of innovative therapies have been intensively studied worldwide. Direct nerve repair with epineural end-to-end sutures is still the gold standard treatment for severe neurotmesis injuries but only in cases where well-vascularized tension-free coaptation can be achieved. When peripheral nerve injury originates a significant gap between the nerve stumps, nerve grafts are required, with several associated disadvantages. Therefore, the development of scaffolds by tissue engineering can provide efficient treatment alternatives to stimulate optimum clinical outcome. Nerve conduit tailoring involves reaching ideal wall pores, using electrospinning techniques in their fabrication, surface coating with extracellular matrix materials, and adding of growth factors or cell-based therapies, among other possibilities. Also, intraluminal cues are employed such as the filling with hydrogels, inner surface modification, topographical design, and the introduction of neurotrophic factors, antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and other pharmacological agents. A comprehensive state of the art of surgical techniques, tissue-engineered nerve graft scaffolds, and their application in nerve regeneration, the advances in peripheral nerve repair and future perspectives will be discussed, including surgeons' and researchers' own large experience in this field of knowledge.

In this issue of Hand Clinics, guest editors Drs. Sami Tuffaha and Kevin Chung bring their considerable expertise to the topic of Peripheral Nerve Reconstruction. Our understanding of peripheral nerve function, anatomy, and regeneration has advanced greatly, but methods of reconstruction have remained largely unchanged. In this issue, top experts cover the modern surgical techniques that are most effective in properly treating patients who suffer from peripheral nerve injuries. Contains 13 relevant, practice-oriented topics including peripheral nerve anatomy for the nerve surgeon; physiology of nerve regeneration: key factors affecting clinical outcomes; advances in nerve imaging; PEG fusion: the holy grail?; evaluating outcomes following nerve repair: beyond the MRC; and more. Provides in-depth clinical reviews on peripheral nerve reconstruction, offering actionable insights for clinical practice. Presents the latest information on this timely, focused topic under the leadership of experienced editors in the field. Authors synthesize and distill the latest research and practice guidelines to create clinically significant, topic-based reviews.

Interest in the study of peripheral nerve repair and regeneration has increased significantly over the last twenty years and today the number of nerve reconstructions performed is progressively increasing due to the continuous improvement in surgical technology and to the spread of microsurgical skills among surgeons worldwide. This volume of International Review of Neurobiology providdes an overview of the state of the art knowledge in peripheral nerve repair and regeneration by bringing together a number of reviews that critically address some the most important issues in this biomedical field.

Nerve Repair is a historically-based, translational review of the clinical and basic science relevant to nerve repair and regeneration. Essential reading for a wide range of professionals - it summarizes pertinent research for the clinician, and the clinical aspects of nerve repair for the scientist.