{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,14]],"date-time":"2026-02-14T08:57:20Z","timestamp":1771059440567,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":26,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"15","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,1]],"date-time":"2025-08-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1754006400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"FCT","award":["PRECOGFIL-PTDC\/EMD-EMD\/2229\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["PRECOGFIL-PTDC\/EMD-EMD\/2229\/2020"]}]},{"name":"FCT","award":["LA\/P\/0079\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["LA\/P\/0079\/2020"]}]},{"name":"FCT","award":["2021.00077.CEECIND"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2021.00077.CEECIND"]}]},{"name":"FCT","award":["2024.00925.BD"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2024.00925.BD"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Materials"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is a prevalent condition, affecting women all over the world, and is commonly treated through surgical interventions that present limitations such as recurrence or complications associated with synthetic meshes. In this study, biodegradable poly(\u03f5-caprolactone) (PCL) cog threads are proposed as a minimally invasive alternative for vaginal wall reinforcement. A custom cutting tool was developed to fabricate threads with varying barb angles (90\u00b0, 75\u00b0, 60\u00b0, and 45\u00b0), which were produced via Melt Electrowriting. Their mechanical behavior was assessed through uniaxial tensile tests and validated using finite element simulations. The results showed that barb orientation had minimal influence on tensile performance. In simulations of anterior vaginal wall deformation under cough pressure, all cog thread configurations significantly reduced displacement in the damaged tissue model, achieving values comparable to or even lower than those of healthy tissue. A ball burst simulation using an anatomically accurate model further demonstrated a 13% increase in reaction force with cog thread reinforcement. Despite fabrication limitations, this study supports the biomechanical potential of 3D-printed PCL cog threads for POP treatment, and lays the groundwork for future in vivo validation.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ma18153638","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,4]],"date-time":"2025-08-04T15:30:06Z","timestamp":1754321406000},"page":"3638","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Development and Simulation-Based Validation of Biodegradable 3D-Printed Cog Threads for Pelvic Organ Prolapse Repair"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-3566-5308","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ana Telma","family":"Silva","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"LAETA, INEGI, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias s\/n, 400, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7783-1166","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nuno Miguel","family":"Ferreira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"LAETA, INEGI, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias s\/n, 400, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal"},{"name":"Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias s\/n, 400, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-0121-4690","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Henrique Leon","family":"Bastos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias s\/n, 400, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-9793-4076","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maria Francisca","family":"Vaz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"LAETA, INEGI, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias s\/n, 400, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3776-9836","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Joana Pinheiro","family":"Martins","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"LAETA, INEGI, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias s\/n, 400, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0569-995X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"F\u00e1bio","family":"Pinheiro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"LAETA, INEGI, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias s\/n, 400, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal"},{"name":"School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Porto, R. de Jorge de Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7146-9944","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ant\u00f3nio Augusto","family":"Fernandes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"LAETA, INEGI, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias s\/n, 400, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal"},{"name":"Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias s\/n, 400, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2889-4969","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Elisabete","family":"Silva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"LAETA, INEGI, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias s\/n, 400, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e464","DOI":"10.1002\/bco2.464","article-title":"Systematic review and meta-analysis of the pelvic organ prolapse and vaginal prolapse among the global population","volume":"6","author":"Mudalige","year":"2025","journal-title":"BJUI Compass"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Sanchez, E.J., Chen, J., Zapata, I., and Brooks, B.D. 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