When a large volume of muscle is lost (typically due to trauma), the body cannot sufficiently respond to replace it. Instead, scar tissue can form that significantly impairs strength and function, explained senior investigator Stephen F. Badylak, D.V.M., Ph.D., M.D., professor of surgery at Pitt and deputy director of the McGowan Institute, a joint effort of Pitt and UPMC.
For the Muscle Tendon Tissue Unit Repair and Reinforcement Reconstructive Surgery Research Study, 5 men who had at least six months earlier lost at least 25 percent of leg muscle volume and function compared to the uninjured limb underwent a customized regimen of physical therapy for 12 to 26 weeks until their function and strength plateaued for a minimum of two weeks. Then, study lead surgeon J. Peter Rubin, M.D., UPMC Professor and chair of plastic surgery, Pitt School of Medicine, surgically implanted a "quilt" of compressed ECM sheets designed to fill into their injury sites. Within 48 hours of the operation, the participants resumed physical therapy for up to 26 additional weeks.
The researchers found that three of the participants, two of whom had thigh injuries and one a calf injury, were stronger by 20 percent or more six months after the surgery.
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