Collagen membrane alleviates peritendinous adhesion in the rat Achilles tendon injury model / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

ABSTRACT

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Tendon adhesion is one of the most common causes of disability following tendon surgery. Therefore, prevention of peritendinous adhesion after surgical repair of tendon is a major challenge. The aim of this study was to explore the possible application of a collagen membrane for the prevention or attenuation of peritendinous adhesions.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Sprague-Dawley (SD) rat Achilles tendon was cut and sutured by a modified Kessler's technique with or without the collagen membrane wrapped. Macroscopic, morphological and biomechanical evaluations were applied to examine the recovery of the injured tendon at 4 and 8 weeks after surgery.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The surgery group wrapped by collagen membranes had a better outcome than the group with surgery repair only. In the collagen membrane-treated group, less adhesion appeared, stronger tensile strength was detected, and more tendon fibers and collagen I expression were observed morphologically.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Wrapping the tendon with a collagen membrane may be an efficient approach for tendon repair and preventing tendon adhesion after its ruptures.</p>