The effects of mobilization on the vascularization of healing flexor tendons in dogs.

The vascularization of healing flexor tendons in dogs was outlined by use of microangiographic techniques, applied on freshly amputated limbs. The tendons were studied during various stages of mobilization after repair. The responsiveness of the tendon's extrinsic vascularity to the process of protected mobilization was characterized by consistent changes in peritendinous vessel density and orientation. A gradually increasing range of passive motion between the 21st and 84th postoperative days was associated with a gradual reduction in vessel density and an orientation on the longitudinal plane comparable to the structure of control tendons.