title: Early healing processes of free tendon grafts within bone tunnels is bone-specific: a morphological study in a rabbit model.
abstract: In order to function as effective ligament replacements, free tendon grafts must become firmly healed into bone tunnels as soon as possible. We hypothesized that graft incorporation would be bone-specific. Free semitendinosus tendon grafts were inserted into drill holes in a lapine medial collateral ligament reconstruction model; thus, creating tibial and femoral bone-specific incorporation sites. Femur-semitendinosus tendon-tibia complexes were harvested from 26 rabbits for histological analysis at various healing times: 0, 6, 12, or 24 weeks post-surgery. Incorporation and remodeling of the graft in the chondral callus was much more extensive at the cancellous-filled femoral insertion than within the marrow-dominated tibial insertion, suggesting that tendon graft healing may depend on the cancellous bone architecture at the graft site.
authors.affiliation: McCaig Centre for Joint Injury and Arthritis Research, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Alberta, T2N 4N1, Calgary, Canada.
authors.forename: S R M
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Grassman
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: McDonald
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Thornton
authors.forename: N G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Shrive
authors.forename: C B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Frank
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D005269:Femur / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D017888:Medial Collateral Ligament, Knee / Q000293:injuries* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D010012:Osteogenesis / Q000502:physiology; D011817:Rabbits; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures; D013710:Tendons / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000637:transplantation*; D013977:Tibia / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D013997:Time Factors; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology*