BACKGROUND:The therapeutic effectiveness on tendon injury is closely related to the material of tendon suture.
OBJECTIVE: To review the progress of tendon suture materials and tendon biomechnics in recent years.
METHODS:A computer-based search of CNKI (January 1999 to December 2014), and PubMed (January 1950 to December 2014) was performed for relevant articles using the keywords of “tendon, suture materials,
biomechanics” in Chinese and English, respectively.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Ideal tendon repair refers to the restoration of the continuity of its anatomical structure, tensile strength and sliding function in physiology, which is influenced by many factors. Suture technique and choice of suture materials are two steps that cannot be ignored. With the development of surgical tendon suture technique, in order to improve the quality of tendon healing, ideal tendon suture is first to have sufficient strength to avoid an early tensile fracture; secondly, the elasticity cannot be too large that can cause a gap between suturing ends and affect tendon healing, and time for protecting the tendon strength is as long as possible. Therefore, the optimal choice of tendon suture materials should be based on suture methods and biomechanical characteristics of suture lines, thereby to promote tendon healing.