Abstract
Objective: To determine tendon stump changes following unrepaired Achilles tendon lacerations in an animal model.
Study Design: An experimental study.
Place and Duration of Study: King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from October 2013 to January 2014.
Methodology: A rabbit model was developed and studied tendon retraction and histological changes in the proximal and distal stumps following transection of the Achilles tendon.
Results: Over a period of 12 weeks, retraction of the distal tendon stump was minimal (2 - 3 mm). In contrast, retraction of the proximal tendon stump peaked to reach 6 mm at 4 weeks post-injury and plateaued to reach 7 - 8 mm at the 12-week interval.
Conclusion: Following complete transection of the Achilles tendon, tendon retraction correlated with the density of myofibroblast expression within the tendon stump. Further research is needed to investigate the pathophysiology of these findings.