Evaluation Of The Effect Of Autologous Dermis Graft On Rat Achilles Tendon Healing

Aim: The Achilles tendon is one of the most frequently injured tendons. It is more common in young and middle-aged individuals who are particularly active in sports. Re-surgery or permanent disabilities may occur as a result of tendon rupture after tendon repair. Various methods to enhance Achilles tendon healing have been described in the literature. However, there is limited data on the use of dermis grafts for tendon augmentation. Dermis grafts; Since they are core tissue, they have less foreign body reaction, can be obtained in a short time, and can be an alternative due to less donor area morbidity. The aim of our study is to reduce the risk of re-rupture by strengthening tendon healing in Achilles tendon injuries and to determine the effectiveness of autologous dermis grafts on healing for strong healing. Methods: In our study, 20 male rats were randomly divided into two groups as Control and Experimental groups. All rats underwent tendon repair after an atraumatic, full-thickness, straight incision was applied to the right Achilles tendon. After tendon repair in the rats in the experimental group; dermis grafts taken from the back were wrapped around the tendon repair area and sutured. The other rats constituted the control group. Rats were sacrificed at week 4 and their Achilles tendons were removed and examined histopathologically, immunohistochemically and biomechanically.Results: Tendons were intact and no rupture was observed in all samples. Positive results were observed in favor of the experimental group in type I collagen and type I/type III collagen density and biomechanical examinations in rats repaired with dermis grafts.Conclusion: As a result of our study; it was shown that dermis grafts can positively contribute to tendon healing. Tendon repair with dermis grafts can be a good alternative to other methods for tendon augmentation or strengthening.