Chapter 18: Enhancement of nerve regeneration and recovery by immunosuppressive agents

Abstract

Clinically, little can be done to induce restoration of good to excellent neurological function following nervous system trauma, and time is required before an effective technique is developed and applied clinically. However, there are novel techniques that have not been tested experimentally or clinically that may induce significantly faster, reliable, and extensive neurological recovery following nervous system trauma than is presently possible, even for techniques currently being tested on animal models. To repair peripheral nerves following trauma in which a length of the nerve pathway is destroyed, many clinicians consider autologous sensory nerve grafts to be the "gold standard" for inducing neurological recovery. However, this technique has severe limitations, such as being effective only across gaps less than 2 cm, for repairs performed less than 2 months posttrauma, and in young patients. As a consequence, many patients suffer permanent neurological deficits or recover only limited neurological function, and they frequently develop irreversible neuropathic pain. This review examines the clinical role that immunosuppressants might play, in the presence or absence of autologous, allografts, or xenografts, in increasing the rate, success, and extent of neurological recovery following nervous system trauma.