The effect of surgical denervation on prevention of excessive dermal scarring: A study on rabbit ear hypertrophic scar model

Abstract

Background: Previous reports have suggested that the extent of wound contraction, epithelisation and total healing time were influenced by denervation of tissues. In this article, we studied for the first time the effect of sensory denervation on prevention of excessive dermal scarring. Materials and Methods: Sixteen New Zealand white rabbits were used. Denervation of the right ears was performed by surgical excision of two main sensory nerves. Dissections were also performed on left ears without any nerve excision for the control group. After 14 days of follow-up and confirmation of tissue denervation, an excessive dermal scarring model as defined by Morris et al. was made by surgery on both ears. Twenty-eight days after making the wounds, the tissues were extirpated for analyses. The scars were evaluated by the scar elevation index (SEI), epithelisation time and inflammatory cell count. Results: The SEI of the denervated side scars was significantly lower than that of the non-denervated side. The rate and timing of total epithelisation and inflammatory cell count between groups yielded no difference. Conclusions: In this study, the surgical denervation skin reduced scarring. It was suggested that understanding the exact role of sensory nerves and neural mediators in excessive dermal scarring is necessary for the prevention and treatment of scarring. (C) 2011 British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.