Tendon repair techniques; stress analysis using CT imaging and FE modelling

    Research output: Contribution to conferencePaperpeer-review

    Abstract

    Over 30,000 people per annum receive surgery to repair hand flexor tendons and permit tissue regeneration. Of these, 25% attain poor postoperative mobility and over 7% require further surgery. In silico mathematical modelling can predict regions of high and low stress in a repair, which indicate acellular regions and poor collagen realignment respectively, which are both detrimental to healing. Our aim was to observe stresses in a barbed suture repair further to recent re-emerging interest in barbed devices for tendon. Using X-ray micro-CT (XCT), the exact tendon and suture geometry can inform a finite element (FE) model for stress analysis. We have developed a surface staining method that minimises change to tissue mechanical properties to allow scans of the same sample when relaxed and under tension to provide validation for FE results. This method may be modified for in silico prototyping of tissue engineered products.
    Original languageEnglish
    Publication statusAccepted/In press - 2016

    Keywords

    • Tendon repair
    • Finite element method
    • X-ray tomography
    • CELLS
    • Digital image correlation

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