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When learning the basics of microsurgery, a trainee must be equipped with patience and perseverance in order to evolve. One must have the ground knowledge when it comes to peripheral nerve injury and nerve regeneration process in order to fully understand that the technique is vital for the outcome and final results. Furthermore, a trainee must practice on non-living tissue before performing successful in vivo operations and even in this case, one may be confronted with problems regarding the surgical technique. [1] The following article aims to reveal the main problems/mistakes when performing sciatic nerve surgery in an in vivo experimental model and the solutions for these problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The baseline for any key research in nerve regeneration is an experimental model and the sciatic nerve in the rat model is the workhorse in this field. Although physically resistant to external traumas, a surgical intervention constitutes a major distress even for a rat. In the following presentation, we will analyse the learning curves for different stages in the rat sciatic nerve surgery as well as possible factors which influence these times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Every research project begins with an idea and a theory. After a thorough examination of previous publications related to the idea (in order not to re-invent the wheel), the idea must be put in practice to test the hypothesis. When it comes to in vivo experiments, there are several bureaucratic demands which need to be fulfilled before commencing any project. Furthermore, the experiments require similar clinical conditions for surgery and postoperative care in order to obtain irrefutable results. Apart from the logistics necessary for the surgical intervention and the postoperative care, logistics referring to proper accommodation and food supplies for the animals to be experimented on is also to be considered from the beginning. Last but not least, the human resource is most valuable in such projects, as the surgical interventions are time consuming and require for sterile conditions at least 2 people (the surgeon and the assistant). The personnel involved in the project needs to allocate time for the postoperative care, the following clinical tests as well as the daily time spent for cleaning, feeding and providing water for the animals in the study. In nerve regeneration studies, this can take up to months, therefore all the resources should be well planned before the beginning of the project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]