Massive rotator cuff repairs have up to 60% failure rate and repair of a chronic repair can have up to 40% failure rate. With this in mind, new methodologies are being to being developed to overcome this problem. The use of tendon augmentation grafts is one of them. Prior attempts have shown equivocal or poorer outcomes to control repairs. Aims and objectives: The specific aim of these expereiments was to test how well ovine tendon cells would take to a specific biological augmentation graft (Ligamimetic), and wheter tissue engineering techniques would enhance this. Tendon cells harvested from ovine tendons will be cultured, exposed to the tendon augmentation graft, and analysed to see how well it takes to the tendon cells. We have conducted a 21 day experiment, sampling at days 7, 14, and 21. The experiment will look in sheep tendon cells:1. Platelet rich plasma: A comparison of the effects of platelet rich plasma to cell adherence, cell proliferation, and collagen production. Mesenchymal stem cell: A comparison of the effects of mesenchymal stem cells to the material on cell adherence, cell proliferation, and collagen production.Introduction
Method
Rotator cuff tears remain a problem, with massive tears having a failure rate of repair reported of up to 60%, despite advances in surgical techniques. Tissue engineering techniques offers the possibility of regenerating damaged tendon tissue to a pre-injury state. We explore these techniques by implanting two novel tendon augmentation grafts with use of platelet rich plasma (PRP) in sheep. A total of 24 sheep were operated on, with the infraspinatus being surgically cut from its attachment to the humeral head. Each tendon was repaired using suture anchors and an interpositional implant according to 4 groups: (1) Empty control, (2) Novel collagen fibre implant with PRP (3) A novel collagen sponge implant (4) and the collagen sponge with PRP. The sheep were killed at 12 weeks and the implant site harvested and its histology evaluated.Introduction
Methods
