Abstract
Objectives We carried out a comparative study between two methods to prepare explanted artificial ligaments samples before their observation in the variable pressure scanning electron microscope (VP-SEM). Materials and methods Poly(ethylene terephtalate) (PET) artificial ligaments grafted by a bioactive polymer, the poly(sodium styrene sulfonate) were implanted for three months in the knee of four ewes after section of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). The qualitative evaluation of the cellular and tissue colonization of the artificial ligaments was carried out on critical point-dried explants (observed by VP-SEM) or not (observed by VP-SEM–Peltier). Results and discussion The results showed differences in the biointegration of the two types of studied ligaments. Only the MEB-VP–Peltier technique allowed obtaining images of excellent resolution with high magnification. For this reason the MEB-VP–Peltier technique is a promising method for the fast qualitative evaluation of the cellular and tissue integration of the artificial ligaments.
Published Version
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