An Experimental Study on the Pattern and Significance of Perineurium Regeneration during Peripheral Nerve Repair / 第三军医大学学报

ABSTRACT

The repair process of the iibial fascicle of the rabbit sciatic nerve which had been transected and sutured or simply crushed was studied by means of light and . electron microscopy.It was found that the perineurium was able to heal after the nerve had been transected and sutured through the formation of a new epineurium-perineurium tube which contained many minute fascicles of regenerated nerve fibers. The newlyformed epineurium-perineurium tubs rejoined ths two stumps of the transected epineurium theath perineurium tube. The healing process of the nerve fascicle after crushing was similar to that after transection and suturing.From the transection and suturing of the nerve to the formation of the new epineurium-perineurium tubs the sequence of pathological events occurring in the epineurium and perineurium could be divided into 3 stages, the first stage of trau-matic inflammation, degeneration and necrosis of the perineurium, the second stage of perineurial cell proliferation, and the regeneration nerve fiber growth into the pre-perineurium mass and the third stage of the formation of new small nerve fascicles.The formation of the new epineurium-perineurium tube is of vital importance to nerve regeneration, it can prevent the nerve fibers from growing astray and guide them to the distal perineurium tube. The pro-perineurial cells might originate from the proliferation of the perineurial cells, themselves.The normal histological and ultrastructural morphology of the rab bit sciatic nerve was described. The nuclei of the perineurial cells have the tendency to form palisades. It seems that this may explain the palisading of the nuclei of neurofibr-oma cells.