Inflammatory Reactions to Xenogenic Nerve Wraps: A Report of Three Cases.

CASE: Recurrent carpal tunnel syndrome is a challenging problem. Nerve wraps have been introduced as a barrier to prevent scar traction neuritis for use during revision carpal tunnel surgery. We present 3 cases of inflammatory responses to bovine collagen and porcine subintestinal mucosal nerve wraps in patients undergoing revision carpal tunnel surgery. No patient had evidence of infection, and pathology revealed acute and chronic inflammation. All 3 patients responded favorably following wrap removal.

CONCLUSIONS

We recommend caution with the routine use of nerve wraps in the setting of revision carpal tunnel surgery.