Nerve graft

A segment of expendable sensory nerve, most often the sural or an upper-limb cutaneous nerve, interposed as one or several reversed cables to bridge a gap that cannot be closed without tension. Millesi's interfascicular grafting showed it beats suture under tension; it remains the standard for motor or mixed nerves, proximal injuries and gaps over 3 cm, at the cost of donor numbness and a second coaptation.

Related terms

• Treatment

  Nerve conduit

  A hollow tube of silicone, polyglycolic acid, collagen or autogenous vein used to bridge a short nerve gap by enclosing the nerve ends and letting the nerve regenerate across the space. Supported by randomised trials for short gaps in sensory nerves (a few millimetres to about 2–3 cm); not a substitute for autograft in motor or mixed nerves, proximal injuries or gaps over 3 cm.

• Treatment

  Processed nerve allograft

  A decellularised human cadaveric nerve segment that retains the basal lamina and endoneurial architecture, used off the shelf to bridge a nerve gap without donor-site morbidity. Randomised and registry data show better sensory recovery than hollow conduits and results comparable to autograft in short gaps; its upper length limit and its role in motor nerves remain debated.

• Procedure

  Nerve transfer

  Coaptation of an expendable donor nerve or fascicle to the distal stump of an injured nerve close to its target, converting a proximal injury into a distal one with a single tension-free repair and no graft. Used for brachial plexus and high nerve injuries and for delayed presentations within the motor reinnervation window; the Oberlin and anterior interosseous-to-ulnar transfers are the classic examples.

Articles mentioning this term

1. FESSH preparation · 26 September 2026

   Peripheral nerve injury and repair

   Peripheral nerve injury for FESSH candidates: degeneration, Seddon and Sunderland grades, electrodiagnosis, timing, grafts, conduits and nerve transfers.

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