In spite of an enormous amount of new experimental laboratory data based on evolving
neuroscientific concepts during the last 25 years peripheral nerve injuries still belong to the
most challenging and difficult surgical reconstructive problems. Our understanding of
biological mechanisms regulating posttraumatic nerve regeneration has increased
substantially with respect to the role of neurotrophic and neurite-outgrowth promoting
substances, but new molecular biological knowledge has so far gained very limited clinical …