title: Bone suture anchors in hand surgery.
abstract: The recent development of small bone suture anchors has created potential applications in reconstructive surgery of the hand and wrist. A combined laboratory and clinical study was devised to evaluate their use. 16 paired fingers (32 in all) from eight cadaveric hands were disarticulated at the MP joint with a 10 cm tail of FDP tendon. The FDP insertion was released in all specimens. In 16 fingers reinsertion was performed with the classic Bunnell technique; in the paired 16 fingers, the repair utilized Acufex 2 mm anchors. There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding load-to-failure at approximately 40 Newtons. The mean stiffness of the anchor repairs was significantly greater than the Bunnell repairs. 19 consecutive patients were prospectively enrolled with a tendon or ligament repair of the hand or wrist using bone anchors. The average age was 41 years and the average length of follow-up was 24 months. All repairs were stable at the time of follow-up. Bone anchors were simple to insert, required less dissection and surgical time than the Bunnell technique and appeared to be reliable in both laboratory and clinical settings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic and Plastic Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: H D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Skoff
authors.forename: A T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Hecker
authors.forename: W C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Hayes
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sebell-Sklar
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Straughn
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005383:Finger Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006230:Hand Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008023:Ligaments, Articular / Q000293:injuries* / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008662:Metacarpophalangeal Joint / Q000293:injuries / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D013536:Suture Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation; D013537:Sutures; D013708:Tendon Injuries; D013710:Tendons / Q000601:surgery; D014954:Wrist Injuries / Q000601:surgery*