Repair methods in peripheral nerves after traumatic injuries: a systematic literature review

Abstract

Purpose: To identify and describe the most used surgical repair methods for traumatic injuries to peripheral nerves, as well as highlight the causes of trauma to peripheral nerves and the most prevalent traumatized nerves. Methods: This is a systematic literature review using the recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). The searches were carried out in PubMED, in the time window from January 2018 to December 2022. Results: In total, 3,687 articles were collected, of which, after applying the inclusion and exclusion filters and analyzing the risk of bias, 34 articles remained. It was observed that the age of the injury and type of nerve repair strongly influence the recovery of patients. The most identified trauma repair procedures were neurolysis, direct suturing, grafting, and nerve transfer. Among these four procedures, direct suturing is currently preferred. Conclusion: Several repair methods can be used in peripheral nerve injuries, with emphasis on direct suturing. However, nerve transfer proves to be a differential in those cases in which repair is delayed or the first treatment options have failed, which shows that each method will be used according to the indication for each case.