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Questions posted in the
Neurology and Neurosurgery Forum have been answered by doctors from The Cleveland Clinic Foundation.
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Subject: Re: Nerve regeneration I am interested in determining what help if any is possible in assisting nerve regenaration. My brother-in-law received serious nerve damage to his right leg as a result of being run over by a bus. He first fough for his life and one year later after 10 sugeries fights to regenerate 36" of nerve in the right leg. He was told he has 2 years to regenerate the nerve. Mathamatically this seems imposible (ie even at 1" per month). Is there any help available? he currently has one nerve operating at about 50%. Can anything be done to help him save his leg and maybe walk again? I would be so grateful for your help. Are there any clinics or specialists we should be contacting? Thanks, Owen
Thanks for your question. The often quoted number of "one inch per month" for nerve regrowth is much more applicable for relatively short distances (5-6 inches). Once the distances increases beyond 10-15 inches, the uncertainties of incorrect "pathway" for the regrowing nerve are such that it becomes very difficult to predict a positive outcome. There have been several surgical techniques described for nerve "grafting", and sometimes, "nerve transposition", but the results to date are uncertain even in the best medical/academic centers. If you are considering a second opinion, a neuro-surgeon specialized in peripheral nerves would be your best option. I hope this information is helpful. Best of luck. This information is provided for general medical education purposes only. |
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