Scientists have
developed a new procedure that is able to restore severed nerves in a matter of
minutes and has the potential to allow a patient to regain the use of a limb in
a few weeks.
The team from the University of Texas used a natural cellular process based on
the biological system many invertebrates use to repair damage to their nerve
axons.
"If further developed in clinical trials this approach would be a great
advance on current procedures that usually imperfectly restore lost function
within months at best," said professor George Bittner who worked on the
tests.
He believes that the technique could have huge implications for the future of
nerve surgery and the way axon injuries are treated.
The daily record recently reported that plastic surgeons in the US were able to
restore the use of a 12-year-old boy's right arm by pioneering nerve-grafting
surgery. However, it has been over two years since the initial injury and the
patient still has numbness in his pinkie finger.
© Adfero Ltd
Private treatment news: 6 February 2012
