SEARCHING FOR ALTERNATIVES TO SILICONE RODS IN STAGED TENDON RECONSTRUCTION

Silicone rod tendon implants originally introduced by Hunter have been widely used for staged tendon reconstructions since 1971. Unfortunate ly, these implants are difficult to obtain and too expensive for most patients living in the developing countries. In this paper, we present an experimental study on the rat comparing the silicone rod with thre e other materials that could be used for the same purpose. The conclus ion was that a 100% medical grade silicone urinary catheter could be a n alternative to the commercial silicone rod tendon implant.