Biomechanical comparison of four tibial fixation techniques for meniscal root sutures in posterior medial meniscus root repair: A porcine study

This study investigated the fixation stability of four different tibial fixations for the meniscal root sutures. Twenty-four porcine tibiae with intact medial meniscus roots were randomly assigned into four groups: transosseous suture, washer, suture anchor or screw with washer. Each sample underwent cyclic loading followed by a load-to-failure test. The maximum average load and displacement at failure for each of the repair groups were as follows: transosseous suture, 232.8 ​N and 12.16 ​mm; washer, 189.9 ​N and 21.5 ​mm; suture anchor, 140.6 ​N and 13.8 ​mm and screw with washer, 167.9 ​N and 18.9 ​mm. The maximum stiffness values for each of the repair groups were as follows: transosseous suture, 19.5 ​± ​0.7 ​N/mm; washer, 21.5 ​± ​1.4 ​N/mm; suture anchor, 13.8 ​± ​0.7 ​N/mm and screw with washer, 18.9 ​± ​3.9 ​N/mm. The mean elongation across the repairs for each of the repair groups after 1000 loading cycles was: transosseous suture, 3.74 ​± ​0.28 ​mm; washer, 3.04 ​± ​0.13 ​mm; suture anchor, 2.25 ​± ​0.33 ​mm and screw with washer, 2.43 ​± ​0.19 ​mm. The mean elongation was significantly less with the suture anchor than with the other techniques (p ​< ​0.05). Tibial fixation using a washer or a screw with a washer is an effective and cost-saving technique when an option is required with high stiffness and low displacement at failure. Under physiological l...
Source: Journal of Orthopaedic Translation - Category: Orthopaedics Source Type: research