Soft tissue related complications are quite frequent in limb lengthening. Muscle fibers may proliferate or regenerate stretching injury over 10-20% of their original length. However, the cells which are engaged in this phenomenon are not
confirmed
yet.
We chased the S-phase cells(phase for DNA replication) in the posterior leg muscles during limb lengthening by immunohistochemical technique.
We lengthened the tibiae fifteen New Zealand white rabbits. We divided them into three groups and each groups is consisted of five rabbits. In group 1, we lengthened the left tibiae by 10% of their original length, in Group 2,20%, and in group,
3,25%,
respectively. At the end of lengthening posterior muscles of lengthened left side and of controlled right side were fixed and processed for immunohistochemical staining which could detect the incorporation of bromodeoxyuridine(BDU). Labelling
index(LI:%
of positively stained S-phase nuclei) of group 1 was zero. LI groups for more than 20% lengthening(sum of group 2 and 3) was statistically significant.
In conclusion, nuclei around or within the muscle tissue are in S-phase during limb lengthening which means proliferation of the muscle fibers of the certain cells that about the muscle fibers.
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