Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42438325›Full record

ReviewMuscle & nerve2026

Millesi's Classification of Nerve Fibrosis Remains Underutilized in Modern Peripheral Nerve Research.

Johannes C Heinzel, Natalie Winter, Adrien Daigeler, Alexander Grimm, Jonas Kolbenschlag, Robert Schmidhammer, Sami Tuffaha, Henrik Lauer

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Muscle & nerve, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Johannes C HeinzelDepartment of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3427-5091
Natalie WinterDepartment of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Adrien DaigelerDepartment of Hand-, Plastic, Reconstructive and Burn Surgery, BG Klinik Tuebingen, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany.
Alexander GrimmDepartment of Neurology, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research (HIH), University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany.
Jonas KolbenschlagDepartment of Hand-, Plastic, Reconstructive and Burn Surgery, BG Klinik Tuebingen, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany.
Robert SchmidhammerMillesi Center for Surgery of Peripheral Nerves, Vienna Private Clinic, Vienna, Austria.
Sami TuffahaDepartment of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2921-0928
Henrik LauerDepartment of Hand-, Plastic, Reconstructive and Burn Surgery, BG Klinik Tuebingen, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Peripheral nerve fibrosis is a major determinant of surgical outcome and functional recovery after nerve injury, yet standardized approaches to assess its extent remain scarce. Decades ago, Hanno Millesi introduced a comprehensive classification system that grades the degree of fibrosis according to the anatomical layers affected, ranging from paraneurial to endoneurial involvement. Despite its conceptual clarity and clinical relevance, this system remains largely underutilized in contemporary peripheral nerve research. Recent experimental models addressing perineural scarring and anti-fibrotic strategies rarely apply Millesi's classification, thereby limiting comparability and translation of findings. Here, we argue that greater integration of Millesi's classification could enhance experimental design, improve standardization, and guide the interpretation of preclinical and clinical studies on peripheral nerve regeneration. Renewed attention to this underutilized framework may bridge the gap between histological observations, experimental interventions, and the surgical decision-making process in peripheral nerve surgery.

Indexed as

Peripheral Nerve InjuriesPeripheral NervesPeripheral Nervous System DiseasesAnimalsFibrosisHumansNerve RegenerationMillesinerve fibrosisneurolysisparaneuriumperipheral nerve

Identifiers

PMID42438325
PMCPMC13471949

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.