Although clinical outcomes of peripheral nerve injuries are often suboptimal, an adherence to well-established basic principles of evaluation and repair can optimize results of even the most complex injuries. Proper assessment of injury patterns both preoperatively and intraoperatively can guide treatment, and multiple repair techniques including strategies for overcoming both small and large gaps offer different advantages and disadvantages. New technologies and ideas address some unsolved problems, but more experience and research is necessary to elucidate fully their roles in the treatment algorithm.
Copyright 2010. Published by Elsevier Inc.