Arthroscopic suture tying: A comparison of knot types and suture materials.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to determine the structural properties of 3 arthroscopically tied knots using 2 different suture materials: the French knot, the Duncan loop knot, and the original Revo knot.


METHODS
Cohort analytic study.


METHODS
The sutures used were No. 1 PDS II, an absorbent monofilament, and No. 1 Ethibond (Ethicon, Somerville, NJ), a braided nonabsorbent material. The resulting 6 suture-knot combinations were individually tested to failure in both open- and closed-loop configurations.


RESULTS
The French knot showed the greatest strength compared with the Duncan loop and the Revo knot with both No. 1 Ethibond and No. 1 PDS II sutures (P <.05). The No. 1 Ethibond exhibited higher initial stiffness than the No. 1 PDS II for all 3 knot types (P <.05). Results were similar for both open and closed-loop configurations. Also, the French knot failed predominantly by suture breakage instead of knot slippage for both suture materials.


CONCLUSIONS
The results of this study suggest that, among the suture and knot combinations investigated in this study, the arthroscopic repair of musculoskeletal injuries should be performed using the French knot and No. 1 Ethibond suture.
Lee
T Q
TQ
Orthopaedic Biomechanics Laboratory, Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, Long Beach, California 90822, USA. tqlee@med.va.gov
Matsuura
P A
PA
Fogolin
R P
RP
Lin
A C
AC
Kim
D
D
McMahon
P J
PJ
D001182:Arthroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004548:Elasticity; D006801:Humans; D008422:Materials Testing; D009141:Musculoskeletal System / Q000293:injuries; D016687:Polydioxanone; D011093:Polyethylene Terephthalates; D013536:Suture Techniques; D013537:Sutures; D016474:Weight-Bearing
C014534:Ethibond; D011093:Polyethylene Terephthalates; D016687:Polydioxanone