Annulus Fibrosus Repair via Interpenetration of a Non-Woven Scaffold Supports Tissue Integration and Prevents Re-Herniation.

Background: Current surgical management of intervertebral disc herniation often fails to adequately address the risk of recurrence, primarily due to the disc's limited regenerative capacity. Regenerative, biomaterial-based approaches for tissue augmentation, while showing preclinical promise, have consistently failed to meet the extreme mechanical demands of the intervertebral disc, impeding their clinical translation.

Methods: In this study, we introduce a novel annulus repair strategy that employs the mechanical interpenetration of a non-woven PET scaffold into intervertebral disc tissue to resist reherniation.