Healing of transected equine superficial digital flexor tendons with and without tenorrhaphy.

This research studied the healing process of cut superficial digital flexor tendons in horses, comparing healing in sutured and non-sutured tendons. The study found that tendons sutured with a certain type of absorbable suture had better results, indicating this could be an effective treatment method.

Research Overview

• This research was set to evaluate the healing process of cut horse tendons, specifically the superficial digital flexor tendons. The study aimed to compare the healing results of tendons that got treated with sutures (tenorrhaphy) and those that didn’t.
• The healing process was measured in two ways: mechanically and histologically. Mechanical evaluation looked at the “load at failure,” a quantitative measure of the tendon’s strength. On the other hand, Histology involves examining the microscopic structure of tissues, in this case, the scar tissue that has formed during healing.

Key Findings

• The study found that the tendons which were sutured with a material called polyglyconate could withstand higher loads before failing, compared to nonsutured tendons, at both the 5th and 9th weeks post injury.
• The stress at failure, another measure of tendon strength, was also higher in sutured tendons during the 5th week. This wasn’t the case however at the 9th week, which the researchers attributed to the increased size of the scar by then.
• On the microscopic level, scars from tenorrhaphy (suturing) were found to be more mature than those in tendons that didn’t get this treatment. This structural maturity suggests superior healing. The mean scar maturity score for sutured tendons was higher than for nonsutured tendons at both measured times.

Conclusion

• The results from this study support using tenorrhaphy with absorbable sutures in treating cut tendons in horses. This was based on the superior mechanical strength and histological evidence of more mature scar tissues in tendons treated in this manner.