Clinics (Jan 2010)

Histological study of fresh versus frozen semitendinous muscle tendon allografts

  • Alexandre Carneiro Bitar,
  • Luiz Augusto Ubirajara Santos,
  • Alberto Tesconi Croci,
  • João Alberto Ramos Maradei Pereira,
  • Edgard N. França Bisneto,
  • Arlete Mazzini Miranda Giovani,
  • Claudia Regina G. C. M. Oliveira

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1590/S1807-59322010000300010
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 65, no. 3
pp. 297 – 303

Abstract

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OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to histologically analyze allografts from cadaveric semitendinous muscle after cryopreservation at -80°C in comparison to a control group kept at only -4°C to test the hypothesis that the histological characteristics of the tissue are maintained when the tendons are kept at lower temperatures. METHODS: In a tissue bank, 10 semitendinous tendons from 10 cadavers were frozen at -80ºC as a storage method for tissue preservation. They were kept frozen for 40 days, and then a histological study was carried out. Another 10 tendon samples were analyzed while still "fresh". RESULTS: There was no histological difference between the fresh and frozen samples in relation to seven variables. CONCLUSIONS: Semitendinous muscle tendon allografts can be submitted to cryopreservation at -80ºC without suffering histological modifications.

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