Philadelphia, Pa. — August 8, 2017 — Researchers at the Philadelphia Hand to Shoulder Center (PHSC) of Thomas Jefferson University (TJU) today announced the initiation of a prospective, randomized trial for the treatment of tendon adhesions of the hand and wrist using AlloSource’s AlloWrap® DS, a human amniotic membrane, in conjunction with tenolysis.
The study, titled A Prospective Randomized Trial Comparing Use of AlloWrap® DS Surgical Barrier with Tenolysis versus Tenolysis Alone for Treatment of Tendon Adhesions of the Hand and Wrist, aims to identify the ideal method for treating tendon adhesions in the hand and wrist. The study will compare patient outcomes after standard tenolysis to tenolysis with the use of AlloWrap DS.
“Hand and wrist tendon adhesions are common complications following injury or surgery, and result in debilitating stiffness and pain. While effective treatments have thus far remained elusive, tendon wrapping with amniotic membrane is a promising treatment option based on results in other fields of surgery,” said principal investigator Randall Culp, MD, Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at PHSC/TJU.
Patrick Kane, MD, Director of Clinical Research and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at PHSC/TJU added, “We are committed to exploring groundbreaking treatments that not only improve patient outcomes, but also minimize the medical and financial burden of repeated surgeries yielding suboptimal results. AlloWrap DS may be the option we have been searching for to definitively treat tendon adhesions of the hand and wrist.”
AlloWrap DS can be used in primary and revision surgical applications for nerves, tendons, vessels and other tissues. Amniotic membrane contains bioactive proteins that aid in wound healing. In addition, amniotic membrane is immune-privileged and has been shown to have anti-microbial characteristics. AlloWrap DS is designed to provide a biological barrier and the strong, thin membrane barrier conforms and settles within surrounding tissues. AlloSource and PHSC/TJU began this work through AlloSource’s Investigator Initiated Research program.
“The significant research taking place at Thomas Jefferson University is vital to growing the body of clinical evidence necessary to reinforce the healing potential of allografts,” said Jill Bagdasarian, AlloSource Clinical Research Affairs Director. “AlloSource is passionate about supporting research that brings new solutions to the medical community and finding ways to honor the gift of human tissue donation. We are thrilled to be supporting the work at PHSC/TJU by providing the tissue necessary for this study.”
More information about the study can be found here.
