Acellular Fish Skin as an Adjunct to Tendon Augmentation

Surgical tendon repair carries certain risks and potential complications, including re-rupture, adhesions, and final functional status. The authors of a poster presented at the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons’ Annual Scientific Conference highlighted a case series in which they used acellular fish skin grafts as an adjunct to tendon augmentation.¹
 

Patrick McEneaney, DPM, discusses his ACFAS poster on tendon repair. from HMP on Vimeo. Click here for a transcript.

The authors cite that over one-quarter of patients experience postop complications after tendon repair, and over 17% have prolonged swelling. They also share that there is evidence that using acellular fish skin grafts (FSGs) as a wrap may prevent adhesion in hand tendons. Through their case series, they contend that using these same FSGs may help improve rates of surgical complications by nature of the wound healing properties of the grafts, including collagen, lipids, and fatty acids.¹
 

Rimi Statkus, DPM, discusses the case series and data. from HMP on Vimeo. Click here for a transcript.

Nineteen patients underwent Achilles or peroneal tendon repair procedures, with either wrapping of the injured tendon with FSG or implantation of the graft into dead space within the surgical site. Serial follow-up evaluations took place for one year. The authors noted complete healing at 6 weeks for the entire cohort, with one complication attributed to non-adherence to treatment recommendations. Mean American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) scores significantly improved over those 6 weeks.
 

Peter Lovato, DPM, discusses the future of tendon repair techniques. from HMP on Vimeo. Click here for a transcript.

The authors feel that these preliminary results support the use of FSG as an adjunctive option during surgical tendon repair in the foot and ankle, but that more investigation is warranted.

Click here to view the poster.

^{Reference
1.     Statkus RP, McEneaney PA, Lovato PF. Acellular fish skin grafts as an adjunct treatment to tendon reconstruction in foot and ankle surgery. Poster presented at the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons Annual Scientific Conference, Los Angeles, CA, February 2023.}

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