DAL MODELLO DINAMICO DEL TENDINE D’ACHILLE ALLA PROGETTAZIONE DELLA PROTESI POLY-TAPE

In the orthopedic field there are two techniques, which are tenorraphy and Tenolig, already used as treatments for Achilles tendon rupture. Due to some particular issues that these two surgical procedures have, in this study has been analyzed another innovative technique: the Poly-tape. The aim of the present study is to develop a Poly-tape prototype designed to en-hance its biomechanical functions: acting as mechanical support for the tendon's rupture and as biological scaffold for tissue regeneration. This goal has been achieved through the design of the prosthesis’ structure and the selection of its materials. In particular, an auxetic re-entrant geometry has been designed as the prototype's structure, while Poly Lactic Acid (PLA) and Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) were selected as materials. To achieve this last target, a mathematical model has been created using the Matlab software in order to study Achilles tendon's dynamic, whose results have been used to select the mate-rials. To verify the structural integrity of the prototype, a finite element method (FEM) was car-ried out using the Autodesk Inventor software. The results obtained in this study have demon-strated that the Poly-tape prothotype designed may represent an innovative method for the treatment of Achilles tendon rupture, at least from a biomechanical perspective.