A Durable Muscle-Prosthetic Bond For Artificial Tendons

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Present means of tendon reconstruction, ranging from allografted and autografted tendons to neotendons generated by resorbable 'scaffolding', do not well serve at least two groups of people. First, after prosthetic replacement of extirpated cancerous bones there is no consistently reliable means of muscle reattachment to otherwise quite adequate bone replacement prostheses. Second, though traditional tendon transfer may dramatically aid some children with cerebral palsy or peripartum nerve injury, many more are limited by the length and position of native tendons. Both these people and others would benefit from a truly artificial tendon-if one existed. Bone-replacement reconstruction would then be straightforward joining of inert materials; tendon transfer would no longer be limited by length and location: a prosthesis could be made any length. There is reason to believe a new durable muscle-to-prosthesis coupling technology, developed for delivering muscle-power to circulatory support devices with very successful animal results (separation strengths far exceeding demand), could yield a coupling serving these orthopedic needs fully as well as-or better than- its original intent. This device works by dispersing ultrafine polymer fibers in the distal muscle substance to dramatically increase force-transfer surface, with proportionally dramatic interface-stress reduction. We will simulate the dilemma of reattaching native tendons to bone-replacement prostheses by developing a device suitable for joining muscles not to their previous insertions sites but rather to metal bone plates in the region. A large muscle in each of eight adult goats will be in this way fixed to the surface of asteel bone plate for 60 days. We have developed and refined this model in a plot trial. Mechanical bond strength relative to standard surgical controls, and histologic tissue-prosthetic interface will be examined. The experimental data will be analyzed for significance. Material fatigue life of devices will be examined through cyclic accelerated loading. Successful demonstration of feasibility would justify Phase II level development-extensive, realistically long-term reconstruction with full bone prostheses in strategic partnership with a developer of these prostheses, as well as serious study of tendon transfer application.