Fibrin Glue Versus Traditional Suturing in Treatment of Tibial Nerve Injury in Dogs: An Experimental Study

Recently, the most widely utilized strategies for repairing peripheral nerves are micro-sutures and fibrin glue, while the findings of experimental studies on both techniques have generated a debate. This prospective experimental trial aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the fibrin glue and micro-suturing procedure in repairing peripheral nerves. In this study, eighteen male mongrel dogs in apparently good health condition were divided into two equal groups (n = 9). Group A, the tibial nerve was cut and healed using micro sutures. Group B, the tibial nerve was cut and mended using fibrin glue. Lameness evaluations of all dogs in both groups after repair did not reveal any statistically significant differences after 12 weeks. Group B (fibrin glue) had a much shorter operation time, but with a higher cost.

Regarding clinical recovery of limb function following nerve injury, fibrin glue and micro sutures are equivalent. For certain peripheral nerve repairs, fibrin glue can be an acceptable substitute. It is also effective in cases where several cable nerve grafts are required, many peripheral nerve lesions are present, or suture application is technically challenging or impossible.