[Material and technical stipulations for synthetic augmentation materials]

Generally used notion of "augmentation" does not present the protective effect of the ligament which has been sutured or reconstructed by the autogenic implant. "Protection" seems to be more proper notion presenting better the fulfilled function. Cruciate ligament, sutured or reconstructed by the autogenic implant from the 1/3 of the patellar ligament, is submitted to time specified healing and rebuilding processes, lasting over 1 year. Synthetic implants application creates undoubtedly protection of mentioned above rebuilding processes from functional overloading. Implants made from the resorbable materials don't fulfill the protective role for such a long period of time. That's why the non-resorbable materials implants application becomes indispensable. We keep using the polyester woven prosthesis (TREVIRA HOCHFEST) with 200 mu mesh. This kind of ligament can be strictly connected, by means of the real augmentation, with the structure it protects and can be fixed in the bones from both distal and proximal end. It is possible also to fix it following the "over the top" method in the proximal portion. For the reconstruction of ligaments with the augmentation there is a need for the synthetic prosthesis with extensibility similar to the normal cruciate ligament extensibility. In the protective plastic operation following the "over the top" method relatively stiff implants should be applied to obtain the protective "stress shield". That's why our company's offer of the cruciate ligaments implants Trevira is so varied. We use implants of 1 mm thick and of various widths: for the ligaments prosthesis--8 mm, for the so called protective plastics--5 mm and for the augmentation--3 mm of width.