Wound Healing with MatriStem
Dr. Barry L. Eppley

Wound healing and the science behind it are an integral part of plastic surgery. No medical specialty is faced with more diverse wound healing challenges, being a referral source for difficult and non-healing surgery sites and wounds. Plastic surgery offers a wide spectrum of wound healing methods from tissue flaps, skin and fat grafting to topical therapies. One exciting new technology is an advanced regenerative medical implant that can be used as either a topical application, an injectable slurry or as a surgical implant. Developed by the Acell company, MatriStem technology is a bioscaffold material derived from porcine tissue. When MatriStem is implanted into a surgical site or wound, it is resorbed and replaced with new, natural tissue, thereby resulting in less scarring than would normally occur.

MatriStem is a non-synthetic implant that is completely resorbable and acellular. It is a unique implant because it induces healing by triggering extensive new blood vessel formation and recruiting specific cell types to heal the wound site. These cells have the potential to become tissue that is natural to the specific tissue site rather than undifferentiated scar tissue. During the healing process, the implant material is completely resorbed, leaving behind natural tissue replacement and not just a scar or an unnatural residual implant. While no implant yet exists that can completely eliminate scar tissue formation, MatriStem substantially reduces the amount of scar tissue that can form in any wound. Less scarring means more natural tissue replacement, which can improve the appearance of the scar and lead to improved mobility and function of the specific body part or surgical site.

MatriStem is currently available in both sheet and micronized particle form (powder). The availability of these two forms allows the material to be applied on any wound. It can be used for the treatment of a wide variety of either chronic non-healing wounds or in primary acute surgery to facilitate faster recovery and better results. Dr. Eppley has experience in a wide variety of reconstructive and cosmetic surgery uses and continues to develop new approaches and applications for this novel implant material.

How does the MatriStem implant work?

Current scientific understanding is that the scaffold material provides stimulation to the recipient's immune system to recruit specific cell types for a three-dimensional repair with tissue that is indigenous to the area. The MatriStem bioscaffold is distinguished from other extracellular scaffold technology by its unique two-layer, or bimodal, surface structure. One surface consists of an intact basement membrane, which is especially conducive to epithelial and endothelial cell attachment, proliferation, and differentiation. The opposite surface consists of organized connective tissue comprised of the urinary bladder lamina propria. This surface allows for integration into the recipient's connective tissues and supports blood vessel growth. MatriStem implants consist of both structural and functional proteins (such as Laminin, Collagen type IV and VII) that are arranged in a three-dimensional ultra-structure that is very difficult to reproduce in any manufactured synthetic implant. Growth factors native to MatriStem implants include vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), transforming growth factor beta (TGFB), platelet derived growth factor (PDGF), bone morphogenic protein 4 (BMP4), and basic fibroblast growth factor (BFGF). These are present as the implant resorbs and account for why new blood vessels and the recruitment of connective tissue cells occur to facilitate the healing and tissue remodeling process.

Dr. Eppley utilizes MatriStem in a variety of plastic surgery applications such as:

  • Powder and sheets for chronic non-healing wounds
  • Debridement and powdered skin grafting
  • Scar revision using interpositional powder
  • Allogeneic and autogenous bone grafting with powder supplement
  • Injectable fat grafting with powder supplement
  • Injectable slurry, with and without platelet-rich plasma (PRP) for facial soft tissue augmentation

Dr. Barry L. Eppley is an accomplished Indianapolis cosmetic surgeon who performs an array of plastic surgery procedures for the cosmetic enhancement of the face, body and breasts. His breast augmentation Indianapolis patients frequently extol Dr. Eppley in admiration of his unsurpassed surgical skills and natural talent. He also offers tummy tuck surgery and is known as a leading Indianapolis liposuction provider. Dr. Eppley is well-versed in a range of facial rejuvenation procedures and strives to produce optimal results through facelift and rhinoplasty procedures.