Resumo
Background: Tendon injuries are common in horses and are commonly associated with lameness and athletic career disruption.Adhesions formed between the tendons and the surrounding tissues compromise the sliding and movement of the structures,compromising their functionality. Therefore, the control of adhesion formation is critical to restore the structural integrity of thetendon, as well as its biomechanical function. The aim of this study was to evaluate the behavior of the biosynthetic cellulosemembrane implanted in foals with surgically induced tendinitis of the superficial digital flexor.Materials, Methods & Results: Six healthy foals were used, which underwent tendinitis induction in the superficial digital flexorof the right and left forelimbs. The lesions was induced by local ischemia by crushing the tendon with hemostatic forceps. Thebiosynthetic cellulose membrane was implanted only in the right forelimb, involving the superficial digital flexor tendon in theregion of the ischemia and the left forelimb was used as control. After surgery, both forelimb were immobilized with syntheticplaster cast for 15 days. Ultrasonography was performed in six foals immediately before (M0), at 15° (M1) at and 30° (M2) day,and three were evaluate at 45° (M3) and 60° (M4) day after surgery. Incisional biopsies were performed in three animals on the30° day and in three animals on the 60° day after surgery. Histopathological examination involved the analysis of tissue disorganization, presence and type of inflammatory infiltrate and neovascularization, according to the score of 0 to 3. Ultrasonographyallowed visualization of the membrane, which was characterized as a continuous hyperechoic line at the edges of the tendon at15 days (M1). In addition, at 30 and 45 days after surgery, interruption of the hyperechoic line and reduction of echogenicitywere observed, and no echogenic lines were observed at 60 days after surgery...(AU)