An implantable electrical stimulator used for peripheral nerve rehabilitation in rats

Rui,Biyu; Guo,Shangchun; Zeng,Bingfang; Wang,Jingwu; Chen,Xin

doi:10.3892/etm.2013.1110

An implantable electrical stimulator used for peripheral nerve rehabilitation in rats

Authors:
- Biyu Rui
- Shangchun Guo
- Bingfang Zeng
- Jingwu Wang
- Xin Chen
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Affiliations: Department of Orthopaedics, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200233, P.R. China, Department of Orthopaedics, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200011, P.R. China
Published online on: May 13, 2013 https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2013.1110
Pages: 22-28

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Abstract

This study evaluated an implantable electrical stimulator using a sciatic nerve injury animal model, and ethological, electrophysiological and histological assessments. Forty Sprague‑Dawley rats were used in the study, and were subjected to crushing of the right sciatic nerve with a micro‑vessel clamp. Electrical stimulators were implanted in twenty of the rats (the implantation group), while the remaining twenty rats were assigned to the control group. At three and six weeks following the surgery, the sciatic nerve function index (SFI) and the motor nerve conduction velocity (MCV) were demonstrated to be significantly higher in the implantation group compared with the control group (P<0.05). Histological analysis, using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining, showed the typical pathological atrophy, and an assessment of the nerve that had been crushed revealed distal axonal breakdown in the control group. These results suggest that the implantable electrical stimulator was effective, and was suitable for implantation in a Sprague‑Dawley rat model.

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