Reconstruction of a 4-cm human median nerve gap by including an autogenous nerve slice in a bioabsorbable nerve conduit: case report.

Nerve gaps up to 3 cm in length can be reconstructed in the human with a bioabsorbable nerve conduit; however, nerve gaps greater than 3 cm have not been reconstructible in animal models unless a neurotrophic factor, like cultured Schwann cells, was added to the nerve conduit. It is the purpose of this article to present the result of human nerve regeneration across a 4-cm nerve gap in the median nerve at the wrist when a slice of autogenous normal nerve was placed into the middle of a bioabsorbable nerve conduit.