Does partial muscle reinnervation preserve future re-innervation potential?

Introduction: Late revision nerve surgery for incomplete motor recovery due to partial reinnervation would improve muscle function if all muscle fibers were protected from developing denervation atrophy.

Methods: Sixty immature Sprague-Dawley rats underwent the following tibial nerve manipulations (n = 15/group): group A, partial denervation (two thirds of nerve resected and the remaining one third crushed), revision repair at 8 months; group B, partial denervation; group C, complete denervation, immediate reconstruction; group D, complete denervation, reconstruction at 8 months; and group E, control. Final testing at 11 months included muscle force, weight, and histology.