Effect of suture size and type on bone cutout in transosseous tendon repairs.
OBJECTIVE
We compared bone cutout of polyester and polyblend suture in 2 suture sizes with static and cyclic loading in a Sawbone model (Pacific Research Laboratories, Vashon, WA).


METHODS
Polyester and polyblend sutures in both No. 2 and No. 5 sizes were placed through transosseous tunnels in closed-cell polyurethane foam and tied over the bar of an electromechanical load frame at a fixed height. Seven sutures in each group were pulled at a rate of 1 mm/s until bone cutout occurred. Another set of 28 sutures were cyclically loaded at increasing loads until failure.


RESULTS
With static and cyclic loads, No. 5 polyester suture (Ethibond; Ethicon, Somerville, NJ) and No. 5 polyblend suture (FiberWire; Arthrex, Naples, FL) had a higher cutout load than the No. 2 sutures (P < .001). No. 2 polyblend suture had a higher static failure load than No. 2 polyester suture (P = .02). With cyclic loading, No. 2 polyblend suture had a higher load to cutout than No. 2 polyester suture (P = .01), and No. 5 polyblend suture had a higher load to cutout than No. 5 polyester suture (P = .003).


CONCLUSIONS
No. 2 sutures showed bone cutout at lower forces under static and cyclic loading as compared with No. 5 sutures in this Sawbone model, and no decrease in performance with regard to bone cutout was noted with polyblend as compared with polyester.


CONCLUSIONS
No. 5 polyester or polyblend suture may be preferable to No. 2 suture to avoid bone cutout in tendon-to-bone repair, and No. 5 polyblend may be preferable to No. 5 polyester to avoid bone cutout.
Norris
Joseph B
JB
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Union Memorial Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA.
Smith
Robert T
RT
White
Kacey L
KL
Parks
Brent G
BG
O'Donnell
John B
JB
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D008422:Materials Testing; D011091:Polyesters; D011140:Polyurethanes; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013536:Suture Techniques; D013537:Sutures; D013708:Tendon Injuries / Q000601:surgery*
D011091:Polyesters; D011140:Polyurethanes