Objective To study the method of reinnervation after ectopic transplantation of the gracilis muscle in rats. Methods Sixty healthy male rats (age, 8 months; weight, 400-500 g) were randomly divided into 3 groups: the control group, the motor reinnervation group, and the sensory reinnervation group. The right gracilis of the rat was cut off, and the muscle was transplanted to the left leg. In the control group, no reinnervation was performed on the obturator nerve; in the sensory reinnervation group, the obturator nerve was coapted with the recipient saphenous nerve; in the motor reinnervation group, the obturator nerve was coapted with the femoral nerve motor branch. After 25 weeks, the weight of the muscle was measured, and the histological examination was performed. Results Atrophy of the gracilis was found to be a dominant effect in the control group, where the weight of the muscle was 204.0±15.3 mg. In the motor reinnervation group, the weight ofthemuscle was 394.8±12.9 mg, and in the sensory reinnervation group, it was 389.2±13.5 mg, with no significant difference between the two groups (P＞0.05). The weight of the muscle in the motor reinnervation group and in the sensory reinnervation group was significantly greater than that in the control group (P＜0.05).The tissue observation revealed that the nerve axon was diffusedin the motor reinnervated group, with no nerve endplates found. The motor nervereinnervated flaps showed the viable axons out to the motor endplates. The histological examination revealed evidence of reinnervation. Conclusion The motor or sensory nerve anastomosis after the ectopic transplantation of the skeletal muscle can prevent the atrophy of the muscle and restorepart of the nerve function.

Citation： WANG Jiangning,WANG Shouyu,DENG Zhaobin,et al.. REINNERVATION AFTER ECTOPIC TRANSPLANTATION OF GRACILIS MUSCLE OF RATS. Chinese Journal of Reparative and Reconstructive Surgery, 2007, 21(6): 568-570. doi: Copy