marzNC
Angel Diva
The ACL repair surgery based on a "sponge" to encourage the torn ends of a ruptured ACL to grow together moved forward successfully with a clinical trial in human volunteers. Interim results are very promising. The process is called BEAR for Bridge-Enhanced ACL Repair. Dr. Martha Murray has been working on the idea for quite a while. A randomized clinical trial with 100 patients to compare BEAR with ACL reconstruction surgery is underway. Unlike ACL reconstruction surgery that requires harvesting a substitute ligament, BEAR is an actual repair of the existing injured ACL.
The first patient to be treated with BEAR ruptured his ACL while skiing. Since he was a grad student in Boston, he was lucky to find out about the research and be picked for the procedure. He wrote about his experience here.
3/23/16 update report
https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/...nee-repairs/BJISuh60AYKYTKWPwaYFWP/story.html
The procedure is described pretty clearly on the Boston Children's Hospital website:
https://www.childrenshospital.org/centers-and-services/anterior-cruciate-ligament-program
The first patient to be treated with BEAR ruptured his ACL while skiing. Since he was a grad student in Boston, he was lucky to find out about the research and be picked for the procedure. He wrote about his experience here.
3/23/16 update report
https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/...nee-repairs/BJISuh60AYKYTKWPwaYFWP/story.html
The procedure is described pretty clearly on the Boston Children's Hospital website:
https://www.childrenshospital.org/centers-and-services/anterior-cruciate-ligament-program