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Nerve regrowth is slow

Unlike other tissues in the body that can repair or rejoin themselves, injured peripheral nerves must regrow from the site of injury back to the endpoint. This regrowth is slow, approximately 1mm per day, and often incomplete, leaving the individual with long-term deficits such as a loss of motion or sensation and chronic pain.

Current treatment techniques for nerve injury are focused on the quality of the repair or providing a structure for the regenerating axons to grow through. However, patient outcomes continue to remain constrained by the biological processes governing nerve regeneration.

How BES may help

Checkpoint Surgical is actively researching the use of a therapeutic dose of brief electrical stimulation (BES) to improve nerve healing. BES represents a paradigm shift in the treatment of peripheral nerve injury, stimulating the body’s natural healing process to accelerate the initiation of nerve regrowth, and thus improve functional recovery compared to surgical repair alone.

REFERENCES

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  2. S. Jo et al., “Comparing electrical stimulation and tacrolimus (FK506) to enhance treating nerve injuries,” Muscle Nerve, vol. 60, no. 5, Art. no. 5, 2019, doi: 10.1002/mus.26659.

  3. J. Sayanagi et al., “Brief Electrical Stimulation Accelerates Axon Regeneration and Promotes Recovery Following Nerve Transection and Repair in Mice,” J. Bone Jt. Surg., vol. 103, no. 20, Art. no. 20, Oct. 2021, doi: 10.2106/JBJS.20.01965.

  4. J. Roh et al., “Short-Duration, Pulsatile, Electrical Stimulation Therapy Accelerates Axon Regeneration and Recovery following Tibial Nerve Injury and Repair in Rats,” Plast. Reconstr. Surg., p. 10.1097/PRS.0000000000008924, Feb. 2022, doi: 10.1097/PRS.0000000000008924.

  5. K. J. Zuo, T. Gordon, K. M. Chan, and G. H. Borschel, “Electrical stimulation to enhance peripheral nerve regeneration: Update in molecular investigations and clinical translation,” Exp. Neurol., vol. 332, p. 113397, Oct. 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2020.113397.

  6. T. Gordon, N. Amirjani, D. C. Edwards, and K. M. Chan, “Brief post-surgical electrical stimulation accelerates axon regeneration and muscle reinnervation without affecting the functional measures in carpal tunnel syndrome patients.,” Exp. Neurol., vol. 223, no. 1, Art. no. 1, May 2010, doi: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2009.09.020.

  7. J. N. Wong, J. L. Olson, M. J. Morhart, and K. M. Chan, “Electrical stimulation enhances sensory recovery: A randomized controlled trial: ES Enhances Sensory Recovery,” Ann. Neurol., vol. 77, no. 6, Art. no. 6, Jun. 2015, doi: 10.1002/ana.24397.

  8. H. A. Power, M. J. Morhart, J. L. Olson, and K. M. Chan, “Postsurgical Electrical Stimulation Enhances Recovery Following Surgery for Severe Cubital Tunnel Syndrome: A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial,” Neurosurgery, vol. 86, no. 6, Art. no. 6, Jun. 2020, doi: 10.1093/neuros/nyz322.