Abstract
About 20% of patients with leprosy develop localised granulomatous lesions in peripheral nerves. We report experiments in guinea-pigs in which freeze-thawed autogenis muscle grafts were used for the treatment of such mycobacterial granulomas. Granulomas were induced in guinea-pig tibial nerves and the animals were left for 7 to 100 days in order to assess maximal damage. The local area of nerve damage was then excised and the gap filled with denatured muscle grafts. Clinical assessment after periods up to 150 days showed good sensory and motor recovery which correlated well with the histological findings. The muscle graft technique may be of value for the treatment of chronic nerve lesions in selected cases of leprosy.
| Original language | English |
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| Pages (from-to) | 874-880 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery - British Volume |
| Volume | 72 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 1990 |