Dataset 1 for: \"The biomechanical, biochemical and morphological properties of nineteen human cadaveric lower limb tendons and ligaments: an open access dataset.\"

Dataset 1: This dataset provides the morphological, biomechanical and biochemical properties of human tendons and ligaments of the lower limb. It is the first instalment in the creation of a larger comprehensive dataset of a wide range of structural, mechanical, chemical, and biological characteristics of normal human tendons and ligaments of both the upper and lower limbs that are either commonly injured or reconstructed, used as graft tissues for reconstruction, or have the potential to be used as grafting tissues. All tissue were sourced from the same donors and tested using consistent methodologies across outcomes. Details on the methods and data analyses can be found in the publication cited below. ABSTRACT Background: Methodological heterogeneity hinders data comparisons across isolated studies of tendon and ligament properties, limiting clinical understanding and affecting the development and evaluation of replacement materials. Purpose: To create an open-access dataset of the morphological, biomechanical and biochemical properties of clinically important tendons and ligaments of the lower-limb, using consistent methodologies to enable direct tendon/ligament comparisons. Study Design: Descriptive laboratory study. Methods: Nineteen distinct lower-limb tendons and ligaments were retrieved from eight fresh-frozen human cadavers (five male, three female; aged 49-65 years) including: Achilles, tibialis posterior, tibialis anterior, fibularis longus, fibularis brevis, flexor hallucis longus, extensor hallucis longus, plantaris, flexor digitorum longus, quadriceps, patellar, semitendinosus and gracilis tendons; anterior cruciate, posterior cruciate, medial collateral and lateral collateral ligaments; and 10mm wide grafts from the contralateral quadriceps and patellar tendons. Outcomes included: morphology - tissue length, and ultrasound-quantified cross-sectional area (CSAUS), and major and minor axes; biomechanics - failure load, ultimate tensile strength (UTS), failure strain and elastic modulus; and biochemistry - sulphated glycosaminoglycan (sGAG) and hydroxyproline contents. Tissue differences were analysed using mixed model regression. Results: There were a range of similarities and differences between tendons and ligaments across outcomes. A key finding relating to potential graft-tissue suitability were the comparable failure loads, UTS, CSAUS, sGAG and hydroxyproline present between hamstring tendons (a standard graft source) and six tendons not typically used for grafting: fibularis longus and brevis, flexor and extensor hallucis longus, and flexor digitorum longus tendons. Conclusion: This study of lower-limb tendons and ligaments has enabled direct comparison of morphological, biomechanical and biochemical human-tissue properties – key factors in the selection of suitable graft tissues. This analysis has identified 6 potential new donor tissues with properties comparable to currently utilised grafts. Clinical Relevance: This extensive dataset reduces the need to utilise data from incompatible sources, which may aid surgical decisions (e.g. evidence to expand the range of tendons considered suitable for use as grafts), and may provide congruent design inputs for new biomaterials and computational models. The complete dataset has been provided to facilitate further investigations, with the capacity to expand the resource to include additional outcomes and tissues.