Animal surgeries

Induction and general anesthesia were performed with a dose of 3 mL/min of 2% Isoflurane, and care was taken the potential for hypothermia. A 3-cm skin incision was then made from below the ischial notch parallel the longitudinal axis of the hind leg. Dissection was done by planes to free the sciatic nerve proximally and distally up to its trifurcation. Within this nerve segment and 1 cm proximal to the trifurcation, each animal received one of the following: application of a Hemostat for 10 seconds (crush, n = 23), full transection with immediate repair (cut/repair, n = 19), or no intervention (sham, n = 21). Repair surgery consisted of an end-to-end fashion with interrupted epineurial 9-0 nylon sutures (Ethicon, Somerville, NJ). Wounds were closed in 2 layers using 5-0 Monocryl suture (Ethicon, Somerville, NJ). After surgery, animals were carefully monitored for any adverse anesthetic effect and provided with daily injections of ketoprofen (5 mg/kg) for 3 days post-operatively. At each animal’s endpoint, euthanasia was performed with an intracardiac dose of 120 mg/kg of Euthasol (Virbac AH, Fort Worth, Texas), and nerves were harvested.