Virginia Via Research Day Book 2026

Undergraduate Student Research Biomedical

01 MORPHOMETRIC PROFILING OF THE MEDIAN NERVE ACROSS ANATOMICAL REGIONS

Sai Krishna Ravva,undergrad; Malaika Amim, BS; Nicholas Torre, MHA, OMS-III; Pranav Varrey,OMS-III; Haejung Shin, DO; Bridget Harkins, DO; Jonathan Millard, PhD, & Kelly Roballo, DVM, PhD Corresponding author: sravva1@vt.edu

Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia VCOM-Virginia, Blacksburg, Virginia

were used to quantify the cross-sectional areas and fascicle counts. Data were analyzed based on biological sex and laterality, and correlations between cross sectional area and fascicle number were assessed. Results: Preliminary analysis of the median nerve with respect to laterality showed statistical differences in the average cross-sectional area revealing the left fibers to be significantly larger than the right at proximal, medial, and distal locations along the median nerve in both males (p=0.0011, p<0.001, and p<0.001) and females (p<0.001, p<0.001, and, p<0.001). The cross-sectional areas in the left median nerves on males were significantly larger than in females at the distal and middle locations (p=0.0032 and p=0.0002). Additionally, males showed increased fascicle number on the left versus the right at the proximal location (p=0.016). Conclusion: Understanding anatomical variability and regional nerve morphology is critical for optimizing functional outcomes in nerve repair and transplantation. Direct end-to-end microsurgical suturing of the epineurium or fascicles continues to

be the gold standard of treatment for PNIs. When primary repair is not feasible, alternatives such as nerve grafting, complete nerve transfers, stem cell transplants, artificial nerve conduits, and nerve decompression procedures may be utilized. This study aimed to classify differences in the intrinsic nerve morphology across male and female human donors to identify optimal nerve reconstruction sites based on variable factors such as proximity and laterality. Detailed morphometric characterization and establishment of baseline metrics have the capacity to enhance precision in graft matching, improve regenerative potential, and optimize patient-specific repair strategies. Therefore, providing a foundation for future studies examining the influence of age, pathology, and population level variability on nerve architecture and repair outcomes.

Context: Peripheral nerve injuries (PNIs) are associated with significant motor and sensory deficits, yet clinical outcomes of repair procedures remain variable, partly due to limited understanding of normative nerve morphology. Detailed morphometric characterization of peripheral nerves is essential for improving graft matching, optimizing regenerative potential, and guiding patient-specific repair strategies. The median nerve, a key structure for hand function, demonstrates considerable anatomical variation that has not been well documented in literature. Objective: This study sought to expand current knowledge of median nerve morphology by analyzing structural variability based on characteristics such as biological sex, laterality, and regional proximity. Methods: Median nerves were harvested bilaterally from 35 human cadavers (16 male and 19 female) and divided into proximal, middle, and distal segments. Segmental analysis was performed at nine intervals along the length of the median nerve, providing data on cross-sectional area and fascicle count at each interval. High-resolution light microscopy and ImageJ software

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