Evaluation of the effects of a polyglycolic acid-collagen tube in the regeneration of facial nerve defects in rats.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the utility of a polyglycolic acid-collagen tube and to investigate its possible application in the field of facial nerve reconstruction.

METHODS

Wistar rats were used in this study. In the operation, a periauricular incision was made to expose the buccal and marginal branches of the facial nerve. Gaps of 10 mm were created by resection of a part of the nerve into the marginal branches and the buccal branch of the left facial nerve. The left marginal branch gap was bridged with a 10-mm polyglycolic acid-collagen tube or an autograft. At 12 weeks after the operation, nerve regeneration was assessed based on clinical, histopathological, and electrophysiological evaluations.

RESULT: The functional recovery of the vibrissal muscle was observed with the polyglycolic acid-collagen tube. However, the functional recovery obtained with the use of the polyglycolic acid-collagen tube was inferior to that obtained with an autograft.

CONCLUSION

We found that polyglycolic acid-collagen tubes could be applied in facial nerve gap reconstruction. However, further improvements will be necessary to achieve results that are equivalent to those obtained with autografts.