Diffusion tensor tractography to visualize axonal outgrowth and regeneration in a 4-cm reverse autograft sciatic nerve rabbit injury model
| Autor: | Patrick R Keller, Blair A Wormer, Timothy M. Rankin, Wesley P. Thayer, Salam Al-Kassis, Isaac V. Manzanera Esteve, Richard D. Dortch, Alonda C. Pollins, Michael Stephanides, Christodoulos Kaoutzanis, Juan M. Colazo, Dillon C. O’Neill, Angel F. Farinas |
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| Rok vydání: | 2018 |
| Předmět: |
0301 basic medicine
Transplantation Autologous Article 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine Imaging Three-Dimensional Peripheral Nerve Injuries medicine Animals business.industry Regeneration (biology) food and beverages Rabbit (nuclear engineering) General Medicine Anatomy Sciatic nerve injury Nerve injury medicine.disease Sciatic Nerve Axons Nerve Regeneration carbohydrates (lipids) 030104 developmental biology Diffusion Tensor Imaging Neurology nervous system Diffusion tensor tractography Neurology (clinical) Sciatic nerve Injury model Rabbits medicine.symptom business 030217 neurology & neurosurgery |
| Zdroj: | Neurological research. 41(3) |
| ISSN: | 1743-1328 |
| Popis: | BACKGROUND: Diffusion tensor tractography (DTT) has recently been shown to accurately detect nerve injury and regeneration. This study assesses whether 7-tesla (7T) DTT imaging is a viable modality to observe axonal outgrowth in a 4 cm rabbit sciatic nerve injury model fixed by a reverse autograft surgical technique. METHODS: Transection injury of unilateral sciatic nerve (4 cm long) was performed in 25 rabbits and repaired using a reverse autograft (RA) surgical technique. Analysis of the nerve autograft was performed at 3, 6, and 11 weeks postoperatively and compared to normal contralateral sciatic nerve, used as control group. High-resolution DTT from ex vivo sciatic nerves were obtained using 3D diffusion-weighted spin-echo acquisitions at 7-T. Total axons and motor and sensory axons were counted at defined lengths along the graft. RESULTS: At 11 weeks, histologically, the total axon count of the RA group was equivalent to the contralateral uninjured nerve control group. Similarly, by qualitative DTT visualization, the 11-week RA group showed increased fiber tracts compared to the 3 and 6 weeks counterparts. Upon immunohistochemical evaluation, 11-week motor axon counts did not significantly differ between reverse autograft and control; but significantly decreased sensory axon counts remained. Nerves explanted at 3 weeks and 6 weeks showed decreased motor and sensory axon counts. DISCUSSION: 7-T DTT is an effective imaging modality that may be used qualitatively to visualize axonal outgrowth and regeneration. This has implications for the development of technology that non-invasively monitors peripheral nerve regeneration in a variety of clinical settings. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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