Graduation Semester and Year

2014

Language

English

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Engineering

Department

Bioengineering

First Advisor

Mario Romero-Ortega

Abstract

Peripheral nerve injuries can be a chronic clinical challenge for patients. Long recovery periods, functional deficits, and neuropathic pain all complicate healing. Although peripheral nerves are able to regenerate, most gap nerve injuries are repaired by autograft, which induces a secondary injury and provides suboptimal recovery of function. This work provides insights into the use of Pleiotrophin (PTN) to bridge long-gap injures and assess the functional recovery of the common peroneal nerve (CPN) injury model. In addition to regeneration strategies, a painful neuroma-blocking conduit was developed to help patients with amputation neuromas. Lastly, this work addresses the unusual phenomenon of radio frequency (RF) wave elicited neuroma pain. In vivo and in vitro testing indicates a mechanism by which RF-stimulus elicits pain.

Disciplines

Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering | Engineering

Comments

Degree granted by The University of Texas at Arlington

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