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Review
. 2022 Aug 3;10(8):1878.
doi: 10.3390/biomedicines10081878.

The Grasping Test Revisited: A Systematic Review of Functional Recovery in Rat Models of Median Nerve Injury

Henrik Lauer  1 , Cosima Prahm  1 , Johannes Tobias Thiel  1 , Jonas Kolbenschlag  1 , Adrien Daigeler  1 , David Hercher  2   3 , Johannes C Heinzel  1
Affiliations
Review

The Grasping Test Revisited: A Systematic Review of Functional Recovery in Rat Models of Median Nerve Injury

Henrik Lauer et al. Biomedicines. .

Abstract

The rat median nerve model is a well-established and frequently used model for peripheral nerve injury and repair. The grasping test is the gold-standard to evaluate functional recovery in this model. However, no comprehensive review exists to summarize the course of functional recovery in regard to the lesion type. According to PRISMA-guidelines, research was performed, including the databases PubMed and Web of Science. Groups were: (1) crush injury, (2) transection with end-to-end or with (3) end-to-side coaptation and (4) isogenic or acellular allogenic grafting. Total and respective number, as well as rat strain, type of nerve defect, length of isogenic or acellular allogenic allografts, time at first signs of motor recovery (FSR) and maximal recovery grasping strength (MRGS), were evaluated. In total, 47 articles met the inclusion criteria. Group I showed earliest signs of motor recovery. Slow recovery was observable in group III and in graft length above 25 mm. Isografts recovered faster compared to other grafts. The onset and course of recovery is heavily dependent from the type of nerve injury. The grasping test should be used complementary in addition to other volitional and non-volitional tests. Repetitive examinations should be planned carefully to optimize assessment of valid and reliable data.

Keywords: allograft; animal; autograft; functional recovery; grasping test; median nerve; nerve crush; nerve repair; nerve transection; rat.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic representation of the grasping test modified by Papalia et al., 2003 [13].
Figure 2
Figure 2
Flow chart of the systematic literature search according to the PRISMA guidelines [27]. The flow chart depicts the selection process of the retrieved studies in chronological order. We used the search terms: “rat”, “median nerve”, “grasping test” and their respective combinations.
Figure 3
Figure 3
First signs of motor recovery (FSR) in group I-IV. X: mean. Horizontal line: median. dot: outlier.
Figure 4
Figure 4
First signs of motor recovery (FSR) following nerve repair with graft length ≤ 14 mm, 15–24 mm and ≥ 25 mm. x: median. horizontal line: mean.
Figure 5
Figure 5
First signs of motor recovery (FSR) following repair of the median nerve with autologous nerve grafts (left) compared to other grafts (right) with length ≤ 24 mm. x: median. horizontal line: mean.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Maximal recovery grasping strength (MRGS) in end-to-end repair and end-to-side repair. x: median. horizontal line: mean.
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