简介：Duringperipheralnervetranspositionrepair,ifthediameterdifferencebetweentransposednervesislargeormultipledistalnervesmustberepairedatthesametime,traditionalepineurialneurorrhaphyhastheproblemofhightensionatthesuturesite,whichmayevenleadtothefailureofnervesuture.Weinvestigatedwhetherasmallgapbio-sleevesuturewithdifferentinnerdiametersatbothendscanbeusedtorepaira2-mmtibialnervedefectbyproximaltranspositionofthecommonperonealnerveinratsandcomparedtheresultswiththerepairseenafterepineurialneurorrhaphy.Threemonthsaftersurgery,neurologicalfunction,nerveregeneration,andrecoveryofnerveinnervationmusclewereassessedusingthetibialnervefunctionindex,neuroelectrophysiologicaltesting,musclebiomechanicsandwetweightmeasurement,osmicacidstaining,andhematoxylin-eosinstaining.Therewasnoobviousinflammatoryreactionandneuromaformationinthetibialnerveafterrepairbythesmallgapbio-sleevesuturewithdifferentinnerdiametersatbothends.Theconductionvelocity,musclestrength,wetmuscleweight,cross-sectionalareaofmusclefibers,andthenumberofnewmyelinatednervefibersinthebiosleevesuturegroupweresimilartothoseintheepineurialneurorrhaphygroup.Ourfindingsindicatethatsmallgapbio-sleevesuturewithdifferentinnerdiametersatbothendscanachievesurgicalsuturebetweennervesofdifferentdiametersandpromoteregenerationandfunctionalrecoveryofinjuredperipheralnerves.