title: Tissue-engineered augmentation of a rotator cuff tendon using a reconstituted collagen scaffold: a histological evaluation in sheep.
abstract: To determine if an absorbable collagen scaffold of high porosity would allow rapid tissue in-growth and permit the functional maturation and alignment of tendon-like tissue, scaffolds were sutured to the superficial surface of the infraspinatus tendons of adult sheep. Histology demonstrated complete ingrowth with fibrovascular tissue by 6 weeks and by 12 weeks the scaffold had induced the formation of a layer of dense, regularly-oriented collagenous tissue which significantly increased the thickness of the native tendon. This new tissue was well-integrated into the host tissues at both the bone interface and along the length of the tendon. At 26 weeks the scaffold was completely absorbed leaving a stable layer of mature tendon-like tissue over the surface of the host tendon which was still present at 52 weeks. The use of a reconstituted collagen scaffold consistently increased the thickness of a rotator cuff tendon by inducing the formation of a well-integrated and mature tendon-like tissue.
authors.affiliation: Rotation Medical, Inc., Plymouth, Minnesota, USA.
authors.forename: Craig
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Van Kampen
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Comparative Orthopaedic Research, College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Arnoczky
authors.affiliation: Histopathometrics, LLC, Mendota Heights, Minnesota, USA.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Parks
authors.affiliation: Small Ruminant Comparative Orthopedic Laboratory, Department of Clinical Sciences, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, Colorado, USA.
authors.forename: Eileen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hackett
authors.affiliation: Small Ruminant Comparative Orthopedic Laboratory, Department of Clinical Sciences, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, Colorado, USA.
authors.forename: Dana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ruehlman
authors.affiliation: Small Ruminant Comparative Orthopedic Laboratory, Department of Clinical Sciences, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, Colorado, USA.
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.affiliation: Steadman Hawkins Clinic Denver, Greenwood Village, Colorado, USA.
authors.forename: Theodore
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schlegel
keywords: collagen scaffold; histology; rotator cuff; sheep; tendon