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Background: Peripheral neuropathy treatment is not always satisfactory. To fill this gap, inferences from bench side are warranted, where morphological and pathogenetic determinations can be performed. Nerve conduction studies (NCS) are ideal to translate results from preclinical to clinical setting. New methods: We propose a comprehensive 8-minute protocol for sensory-motor neurophysiological assessment, similar to routine clinical practice: sensory proximal and distal caudal nerves, motor caudal nerve, and sensory digital nerve recordings were used and tested in 2 different experimental settings. In Experiment 1 we compared control (CTRL) animals to a severe sensory-motor polyneuropathy (animals treated with vincristine [VCR]), and in Experiment 2 CTRL animals were compared to a mild sensory polyneuropathy (animals treated with oxaliplatin [OHP]). NCS were performed after 1-month of chemotherapy and matched with confirmatory neuropathological analyses. Results: VCR treated animals showed, at NCS, a relevant sensory-motor polyneuropathy ensued at the end of treatment; whereas, OHP animals showed a mild distal sensory neuropathy. These patterns were confirmed by neuropathological analysis. Comparison with existing methods: In literature, the majority of proposed neurophysiological protocols relies mainly on a single nerve testing, rather than a combination of them, and only a few studies tested both caudal and sciatic nerve branches, nevertheless not aiming at fully reproduce clinical protocols (e.g., seeking for length-dependency); to provide evidence of appropriateness of our protocol we applied a gold standard: neuropathology. Conclusion: The simple and rapid protocol here presented can be suggested as a good translation outcome measure in preclinical setting.

Povrede nerava spadaju među najraznovrsnija stanja u hrirurgiji, a ishod je frustrirajući kako za pacijenta, tako i za hirurga. Najčešće ove povrede pogađaju gornji ekstremitet i prouzrokuju značajne tegobe pacijentu, kako u radnim, tako i u svakodnevnim životnim aktivnostima. Najučestalije su povrede digitalnih nerava, a najčešće se javljaju kod mušakaraca u radno aktivnom dobu. Ove povrede mogu nastati usled jednostavnih posekotina ili mogu biti posledica teške traume šake. U slučajevima kada digitalni nervi ostanu neušiveni, aksonalni rast se rasipa i može nastati neurom koji će da ometa rehabilitaciju, funkcionalni oporavak šake, a uticaće i na hvat „štipaljke palac-kažiprst” i gnostičku funkciju celokupne šake. Senzibilitet je od esencijalne važnosti za normalno funkcionisanje ekstremiteta. Povrede digitalnih nerava su često udružene sa povredama susednih struktura (npr.tetiva). Testovi nervne sporovodljivosti su od male vrednosti kod svežih povreda šake, pa se tačna dijagnoza postavlja kombinacijom kliničkog pregleda i intraoperativnog nalaza. Ne postoji ni jedan univerzalni algoritam lečenja, a nažalost su rezultati nervne reparacije i danas ne bolji od „zadovoljavajući“, gde samo 50% pacijenta dostiže nivo opravka koji omogućava dobru funkciju. Postavljanjem korektne dijagnoze i započinjanjem odgovarajućeg lečenja, hirurg može da utiče na krajnji ishod. Od ključne važnosti je poznavanje strukture perifernih nerava i neurobioloških događaja koji prate povredu nerva. Novi rast aksona je delikatni proces dirigovan signalnim transdjuserskim mehanizmima. Ključni elementi neruoregeneracije su veličina defekta, Valerova degeneracija, specifičnost aksonskog vođenja i vitalnost terminalnih organa. Idealno, primarnu reparaciju nerva treba uraditi odmah, ili sa kratkim odlaganjem u dobro vaskularizovanom ležištu bez tenzije. U brojnim radovima su ispitivani prediktorni faktori senzitivnog oporavka. Mnogo faktora može uticati na krajnji ishod. Godine su bitan faktor, a, A nerve injury is one of the most different conditions that a surgery treats and the outcome causes frustration for the patient and the surgeon. Most peripheral nerve injuries affect the upper extremity function and induce severe suffering for the patients, not only in their professional life but also impairing their everyday activities. The most common transection injury is a digital nerve injury, which mainly affect men in a productive age. Digital nerve injury can result from simple cuts or from severe hand trauma. In case a digital nerve is left unrepaired, the axonal growth will disperse and could lead to neuroma formation which then would interfere with rehabilitation, functional recovery, and involved in pinch and gnostic function. Sensibility is an essential factor, concerning a normal hand function. Transection injuries of peripheral nerves are often combined with injuries to adjacent structures (e.g. tendons). Nerve conduction testing has little value in the acute hand injury setting, and accurate diagnoses were made through a combination of the clinical examination and from the intraoperative evaluation. There is no single successful treatment algorithm and unfortunately, results of nerve repair to date have been no better than fair, with only 50% of patients regain satisfactory outcomes of useful function. By making a correct diagnosis and initiating appropriate treatment, the surgeon can influence the final results. It is crucial to understand the structure of a peripheral nerve and neurobiological events that occur after nerve injury. Outgrowth of axons after injury is a delicate process orchestrated by signal transduction mechanisms. Key elements of neuroregeneration are gap distance, Wallerian degeneration, axon guidance specifity, and end-organ viability. Ideally, primary nerve repair should be done immediately, or only slightly delayed in and environment with a well vascularised bed without tension. Predictors of sensory recovery have been evaluate