Computer-assisted assessment of the histological structure of the human sural nerve

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the histological structure (cross-sectional area — CSA, number of nerve bundles) of the human sural nerve at the level above the lateral malleolus, using computer-assisted image analysis.

Materials and methods: This study has been conducted using sural nerves dissected from cadavers during routine autopsies. The harvested tissues samples were dehydrated, embedded in paraffin, sectioned at 4 μm and stained with haematoxylin and eosin. Each cross-section was photographed (16 × magnification) and the images were analysed using Java ImageJ.

Results: The studied group comprised 12 women and 25 men (mean age 60.1 ± 15.7 years), yielding a total of 74 sural nerves (37 right vs. 37 left). The mean ± standard deviation CSA of the sural nerve was 0.14 ± 0.07 cm2. The mean number of nerve bundles in the sural nerve was 10.5 ± 6.0. In terms of gender and side, neither the CSA (p = 0.45 and p = 0.79, respectively) nor the number of nerve bundles revealed any differences (p = 0.34 and p = 0.47, respectively). Strong negative correlations were noted between the age of the donors and the sural nerve CSA (r = –0.69,p = 0.02), as well as the number of nerve bundles (r = –0.57, p = 0.06).

Conclusions: This study shows that there are no statistical differences between the CSA and the number of nerve bundles in the sural nerve when compared by gender and side of the lower limb. This study also allows drawing the conclusion that the sural nerve degenerates with age in terms of both the CSA and the number of nerve bundles.