In muscle lengthening surgery multiple aponeurotomy does not improve intended acute effects and may counter-indicate: An assessment by finite element modelling

Can A. Yucesoy, Zeynep Şeref-Ferlengez, Peter A. Huijing

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

The goal was to assess the effects of multiple aponeurotomy on mechanics of muscle with extramuscular myofascial connections. Using finite element modelling, effects of combinations of the intervention carried out at a proximal (P), an intermediate (I) and a distal (D) location were studied: (1) Case P, (2) Case P-I, (3) Case P-D and (4) Case P-I-D. Compared to Case P, the effects of multiple interventions on muscle geometry and sarcomere lengths were sizable for the distal population of muscle fibres: e.g. at high muscle length (1) summed gap lengths between the cut ends of aponeurosis increased by 16, 25 and 27% for Cases P-I, P-D and P-I-D, respectively, (2) characteristic substantial sarcomere shortening became more pronounced (mean shortening was 26, 29, 30 and 31% for Cases P, P-I, P-D and P-I-D, respectively) and (3) fibre stresses decreased (mean stress equalled 0.49, 0.39, 0.38 and 0.33 for Cases P, P-I, P-D and P-I-D, respectively). In contrast, no appreciable effects were shown for the proximal population. The overall change in sarcomere length heterogeneity was limited. Consequently, the effects of multiple aponeurotomy on muscle length-force characteristics were marginal: (1) a limited reduction in active muscle force (maximal 'muscle weakening effect' remained between 5 and 11%) and (2) an even less pronounced change in slack to optimum length range of force exertion (maximal 'muscle lengthening effect' distally was 0.2% for Case P-I-D) were shown. The intended effects of the intervention were dominated by the one intervention carried out closer to the tendon suggesting that aponeurotomies done additionally to that may counter-indicated.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)12-25
Number of pages14
JournalComputer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering
Volume16
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2013
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • multiple aponeurotomies
  • muscle length-force characteristics
  • myofascial force transmission
  • sarcomere length distributions
  • surgical muscle lengthening
  • the finite element analysis

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Bioengineering
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Computer Science Applications

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