Mechanical evaluation of different techniques for Achilles tendon repair.

Introduction: One aim of the surgical treatment of acute Achilles tendon ruptures is to obtain a maximum primary stability of the sutured tendon. Therefore, we investigated the primary stability of sutured human Achilles tendons depending on different applied techniques.

Methods: The strength of 60 repaired cadaveric human Achilles tendons was tested depending on either the suture technique (Bunnell or Kessler), the suture material (PDS-thread or PDS-cord) or an additional plantaris tendon augmentation (PDS-thread with or without augmentation).

A 3-month preclinical trial to assess the performance of a new TVT-like mesh (TVTx) in a sheep model.

The objective of this study was to evaluate in a sheep model the performance of a new polypropylene mesh (TVTx), which is intended as a less invasive treatment for female stress urinary incontinence. Eight female sheep were used in this study, each one being implanted with eight TVTx samples. At each time-point (weeks 1, 2, 4, and 12) seven TVTx were pulled out, while one TVTx was carefully dissected for histological investigations.

Are meshes with lightweight construction strong enough?

The use of mesh has become essential in the repair of abdominal wall incisional hernias. Suture techniques, reapplied after failure of a primary repair, are characterized by recurrence rates of up to 50 percent, whereas the reinforcement of the abdominal wall with surgical mesh has significantly decreased these rates to <10 percent. This article describes the background for the development of mesh with lightweight construction and physiological biomechanical performance.