PATTERNS OF CELLULAR ACTIVATION AFTER TENDON INJURY

Mechanisms which lead to disabling adhesions following flexor tendon s urgery of the hand were investigated in a rabbit model which was used to assess the relative response of the cells of the synovial sheath, e pitenon and the endotenon to injury, A transverse laceration, cutting through 50% of the tendon, was made just outside the synovial sheath o n the flexor aspect of the flexor digitorum profundus tendon, The syno vial sheath was preserved intact, Using monoclonal antibodies for loca lizing specific inflammatory markers, me were able to follow the respo nse and activity of the synovial sheath, epitenon and endotenon with r espect to these markers at various times after surgery. Our findings s uggest that the synovial sheath and the epitenon are relatively more r eactive in the early period after injury, as judged by a range of infl ammatory indices with the notable exception of the expression of the p otent neovascularizing agent, basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF).