Tibial nerve function during tibial lengthening:Measurement of nerve conduction and blood flow in rabbits

Abstract

We evaluated in 20 Japanese white rabbits the effects of tibial lengthening on tibial nerve conduction and intraneural blood flow at the end of lengthening. Both tibiae were distracted 1 mm per day. The distraction frequency was in 2 steps (0.5 mm/12 h) on the right side and in 120 steps (0.0083 mm/12 min) on the left. The rabbits were separated into 4 subgroups based on the percentage of lengthening: 0 (control), 10, 20, and 30 percent. In the 2-step group, nerve conduction was delayed at 20 and 30 percent lengthening, compared to the control group, while in the 120-step group, it was delayed only at 30 percent lengthening. Intraneural blood flow in the 2-step group was decreased at 10, 20, and 30 percent lengthenings, while in the 120-step group it was reduced at 30 percent lengthening. Our findings indicate that an increase in the frequency of distraction reduces the impairment of nerve function during bone lengthening.