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Nerve Lacerations
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These injuries occur when a nerve is cut, for example by glass or metal during a car accident, or by a knife during a stabbing. Generally, nerves injured in this manner are repaired by suturing the severed ends back together as soon as possible after the injury occurs. Delayed repair makes this surgery more difficult.
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Patient who sustained a stab wound to the face, lacerating the facial nerve. |
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Figure 2. Intraoperative, highly-magnified view of the severed ends of the cut facial nerve prior to repair. The asterisks mark the ends of the nerve. |
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Figure 3. Intraoperative, highly-magnified view of the facial nerve following suture repair. |
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Occasionally, nerve lacerations can occur accidently during surgery. As for other nerve lacerations, these are best repaired by a peripheral nerve surgeon as soon as possible after they occur.
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Figure 4. Intraoperative, highly-magnified view of an obturator nerve in the abdomen that was cut during a hysterectomy, and immediately subjected to microsurgical suture repair.
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