Maintenance of the gliding surface of tendon autografts in dogs.

To determine whether there are differences in the extent to which the superficial cellular layers remain viable and contribute to the healing process, extra- and intrasynovial hindlimb donor tendons of 12 dogs (24 tendons) were labeled with 3H-thymidine in vitro and transferred to the medial and lateral toes of the forepaw. After transplantation, the distribution and amounts of remaining labeled cells within the healing tendon grafts were determined at 1 and 3 weeks after surgery by scintillation countings and autoradiographic examinations. The two types of tendon grafts showed different turnover rates for the elimination of labeled DNA. At 1 week, 25 percent of labeled DNA remained in the extrasynovial grafts and 65 percent in the intrasynovial grafts. The two types of tendon grafts also showed different healing responses histologically. Autradiographic examinations showed that the majority of labeled cells were located in the periphery of the control tendons and that the numbers of labeled cells within the newly proliferated superficial areas of both types of tendon grafts decreased over time. These findings indicate that intrasynovial flexor tendons may possess improved prerequisites for superficial cellular survival and tendon gliding following autogenous tendon grafting.