Flexor Tendon Reconstruction

Tendon injury and repair – A perspective on the basic mechanisms of tendon disease and future clinical therapy

“…Still viable resident cells in an autograft will be exposed to a low-nutrient environment may then potentially recruit participation from the extrinsic compartment. This may plausibly explain why autografts do not generally perform superiorly better than allografts [210,[241][242][243]. A promising approach to promote beneficial graft remodeling may be to functionalize the graft with bioactive molecules [244], however such approaches are still in their very early stages and lack clinical evidence of efficacy.…”

The past, present and future in scaffold-based tendon treatments

“…The choice of the site from which an autograft will be harvested depends on tissue accessibility and availability; on the physical dimensions and mechanical properties of the donor tissue; and on the extent of site morbidity that will be induced [286,287]. The use of autografts in clinical setting has been strongly supported by superior functional results [288,289]. Nonetheless, availability issues and the unavoidable site morbidity that will only partially improve the properties of the originally injured tendon tissue [290][291][292][293] pushed the field towards allogeneic [294][295][296][297][298] alternatives.…”

An Alternate Graft for Staged Flexor Tendon Reconstruction

“…With inadequate PL and plantaris tendons, it was felt that other conventional options were unlikely to be more robust. Toe extensors, toe flexors, extensor digiti minimi, and extensor indicis proprius are commonly cited as alternative graft options [5]. However, complications associated with harvesting these tendons are also documented [3].…”

“…Palmaris longus (PL) and plantaris are the most common sources of donor tendons for flexor tendon reconstruction [5]. The use of extensor digitorum longus, extensor digiti minimi, extensor indicis proprius, and flexor digitorum longus has also been described.…”