Nerve Grafting Using MATRIderm® in Traumatic Digital Nerve Injuries: a Randomized, Single-center, Controlled Study

Plain-language summary

Hand and wrist injuries are very common, with nearly 2 million cases each year in France. Many injuries involve cuts that damage important structures such as nerves, tendons, blood vessels, bones, or joints. About 12.5% of hand wounds affect nerves, which can cause numbness, pain, or abnormal nerve growths called neuromas. Patients may also experience unusual sensations or intolerance to cold. The usual treatment for a cut nerve is to carefully stitch it back together. Sometimes, additional techniques can be used to help the nerve heal better and reduce scarring. One technique, called nerve wrapping, involves surrounding the damaged nerve with a small protective tube to support its repair. This study is testing the use of MatriDerm®, a collagen-elastin matrix originally used to help skin heal. MatriDerm® acts like a scaffold, supporting tissue repair and controlling scar formation. Its properties may also help nerves heal when placed around a stitched nerve. This is an academic, monocentric, prospective, randomized, controlled study conducted in a double-blind manner (neither the patient nor the evaluator knows which treatment is given). The goal is to see if wrapping a stitched nerve with MatriDerm® improves finger sensation recovery compared with stitching alone. Seventy patients with traumatic nerve injuries of the fingers will be included: one group of patients will receive standard nerve stitching alone and another group will receive nerve stitching plus MatriDerm® wrapping. Researchers will evaluate finger sensation one year after surgery using standard touch tests. The hypothesis is that nerve wrapping with MatriDerm® will lead to better sensory recovery than stitching alone.

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