The Functional Results of Acute Nerve Grafting in Traumatic Sciatic Nerve Injuries

The sciatic and peroneal nerves are the most frequently injured, followed by tibial and femoral nerves in lower extremity. The aim of this study is to evaluate the functional results of the acute nerve grafting in traumatic sciatic nerve injuries.
A total number of 9 patients with sciatic nerve defect, treated with primary nerve grafting. The mean age was 31.7 years. The etiologic factors were gunshot wounds; traffic accident; and penetrating trauma. All of the patients had sciatic nerve defects ranging from 3.4 to 13.6 cm. The follow-up period ranged between 25 and 84 months. The tibial nerve motor function was “good” or “very good” (M3-M4) in 5 patients (55.6%). The plantar flexion was not sufficient for the rest of the patients. The peroneal nerve motor function was also “good” and “very good” in 3 patients (33.3%).
The functional results of the acute nerve grafting of the sciatic nerve within the first week after the injury are poorer than related literature. This protocol only should be applied to the selected patients who have adequate soft tissue coverage and healthy nerve endings.