title: Contact area and pressure in suture bridge rotator cuff repair using knotless lateral anchors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate whether the use of knotless lateral anchors in a suture bridge construct produces better contact area and pressure parameters than a suture bridge construct with standard lateral anchors that require knots or a double-row repair. The hypothesis was that knotless lateral anchors would produce better contact area and pressure parameters than the other two constructs.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of fifteen matched pairs of cadaveric shoulders were divided into three groups. In Group 1, a suture bridge using knotless anchors for the lateral row was performed on five shoulders. A suture bridge using standard lateral row anchors that require knots was performed on the contralateral shoulders. In Group 2, suture bridge with knotless lateral row anchors was compared with double-row repair. In Group 3, suture bridge using standard lateral row anchors was compared with double-row repair. The contact conditions of the rotator cuff footprint were measured using pressure-sensitive film.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no statistically significant differences between any of the techniques regarding contact area F(2, 15.7) = 3.09, P = 0.07 or mean contact pressure F(2, 15.1) = 2.35, P = 0.12. A post hoc power analysis suggests differences between techniques are likely less than 91-113 mm(2) for area and 0.071-0.089 N for pressure.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of knotless anchors in the lateral row of a suture bridge repair did not increase the footprint contact area or contact pressure when compared to a suture bridge repair requiring knots laterally or to a double-row repair.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Alpert Brown Medical School, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI 02903, USA. tompkinsm@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tompkins
authors.forename: Keith O
authors.initials: KO
authors.lastname: Monchik
authors.forename: Matthew J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Plante
authors.forename: Braden C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Fleming
authors.forename: Paul D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Fadale
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001182:Arthroscopy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011312:Pressure; D017006:Rotator Cuff / Q000502:physiology / Q000601:surgery*; D000070636:Rotator Cuff Injuries; D053441:Suture Anchors; D013536:Suture Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation*; D013708:Tendon Injuries / Q000601:surgery*