Nerve regeneration with the use of a poly(l-lactide-co-glycolic acid)-coated collagen tube filled with collagen gel.

The aim of this study was to develop a novel artificial nerve conduit and to evaluate its efficiency based on the promotion of peripheral nerve regeneration in rabbits. The nerve conduit was made of a poly (l-lactide-co-glycolic acid)-coated collagen tube filled with collagen gel. The conduits were implanted into a 15 mm gap in the peroneal nerves of five rabbits. On the contralateral side, the defects were bridged with collagen-filled vein grafts. Twelve weeks postoperatively nerve regeneration was superior to the vein graft in the PLGA-coated collagen tube, both morphologically and electrophysiologically. The results indicate the superiority of the PLGA-coated collagen tube over vein grafts. Furthermore, they show that entubulation repair with this type of tube can support nerve regeneration over a nerve gap distance of at least 15 mm.