Improving Effects of Peripheral Nerve Decompression Microsurgery of Lower Limbs in Patients with Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy.

[BACKGROUND] Peripheral nerve decompression microsurgery can relieve nerve entrapment and improve the symptoms of DPN. However, postoperative tissue adhesion will produce new pressure on the nerves, affecting the surgical efficacy. In this study, a nerve conduit was used in the peripheral nerve decompression microsurgery to prevent postoperative adhesions, and the role of the nerve conduit in surgical nerve decompression was explored.

[METHODS] A total of 69 patients with DPN were recruited and randomly divided into three groups: the nerve conduit group, conventional surgery group, and control group. Two weeks before surgery and 6 months after surgery, patients in each group were clinically tested using the visual analog scale (VAS) score, neurophysiological test, Toronto clinical scoring system (TCSS) score, and two-point discrimination (2-PD) test.

[RESULTS] The patients' symptoms in the nerve conduit group were relieved to varying degrees, and the relief rate reached 90.9%; the treatment efficacy was higher than that in the other groups. The postoperative nerve conduction velocity (NCV) in the two surgical groups was significantly higher than that before the surgery, and the difference between the nerve conduit group and the conventional surgery group was statistically significant ( < 0.05). For the 2-PD test, there was a statistically significant difference between the two surgical groups ( < 0.05). The TCSS score in the two surgical groups was significantly higher than that in the control group ( < 0.01). There was a significant difference in the TCSS scores between the nerve conduit group and the conventional surgery group ( < 0.05).

[CONCLUSIONS] The nerve conduit could further improve the efficacy of peripheral nerve decompression microsurgery in the treatment of DPN.