Objective:Toinvestigatethemorphologicalcharacteristicsofthebridgetendongraftinginnoman'slandtoreconstructthetendondefectandtheeffectofpassivemobilizationonit.Methods:A2cmdefectwasmadeinbilateralflexordigitorumprofundustendonsofthemiddlechickentoes,andwasthentransplantedtotheoppositesitetoserveasasegmentalautografttendon.Postoperatively,passivemobilizationoftheleftandrightmiddletoesbeganat5and21dseparately.Specimenswerestudiedbylight,scanningandtransmissionelectronmicroscopyat5,10,21and35d.Results:Earlyrepairofthetendon-graftoftheleftmiddletoeswasmadebyproliferationandingrowthoftheepitenoncellsintermingledwithnewly-formedcollagenfibers.aglidingsurfaceformedat10and21d.Thetendongraftitselfplayedanactiveroleintherepair.Incontrast,adhesionsobliteratedthesurfaceandoccupiedthespacebetweenthetendongraftandsurroundingtissuesintherightmiddletoes.Conclusions:Itindicatesthattheuseofthesegmentalbridgetendongraftinnoman'slandcoupledwithearlypassivemotionstimulatesanintrisicrepairprocessinboththetendonstumpandtheautogenoustendongraftandresultsinafunctionalhealing.
