| Description |
Peripheral nerve lesions caused by trauma often require the removal of the injured segment of nerve and subsequent repair by surgery. Nerve injuries that produce large gaps require a "bridge" to guide axon growth and reinnervation. Harvested autografts are currently the gold standard for bridging that gap but they have drawbacks including donor site morbidity, limited donor sites, and inconsistent efficacy. Surgically implanting a nerve guidance conduit is an alternative solution to grafting nerve conduits and such devices are presently available. However, many of them suffer from significant drawbacks such as nondegradable properties, nerve compression, complex fabrication techniques, and a lack of versatility in exchanging drugs. A bioresorbable multidrug delivery conduit that relies on the mechanics of diffusion has been developed to bridge the nerve gap and locally deliver neurotrophins and other regeneration promoting drugs to the regeneration site. Conduit design, drug delivery modelling, manufacturing techniques, and release verification testing will be discussed. |
