title: Evaluation of FiberLoop sutures in locking and nonlocking tendon repair.
abstract: The FiberLoop suture has been developed as a double stranded, double-armed suture of FiberWire, but has not been previously studied. This is a comparison study of FiberLoop, FiberWire, and Ethibond.
  
  
  METHODS
  Six groups of bovine tendons were randomly sorted for testing. They were cut and repaired using FiberWire, FiberLoop, and Ethibond with modified Kessler and modified Krackow repair techniques. A 4-0 core suture was used and tested to failure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both FiberLoop and FiberWire were significantly stronger than Ethibond regardless of the repair technique used. There was no difference between the nonlocking and locking repair technique in any of the suture groups. However, the nonlocking technique failed by tissue pull through while the locking technique failed by suture breakage.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The FiberLoop suture and the FiberWire suture were significantly stronger than the Ethibond suture. Additionally, this study shows that the 4-0 suture is of adequate strength to repair a tendon injury. The double-armed Fiberloop may translate into quicker tendon repairs without sacrificing strength.
authors: Department of Plastic Surgery, Vanderbilt Medical Center, 1161 21st Ave South, Nashville, TN 37232, USA. michael.cash@vanderbilt.edu
authors: Michael P
authors: MP
authors: Cash
authors: Joseph M
authors: JM
authors: Sherrill
authors: Thanapong
authors: T
authors: Waitayawinyu
authors: Thomas R
authors: TR
authors: Hunt
authors: R Bruce
authors: RB
authors: Shack
authors: Wesley P
authors: WP
authors: Thayer
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008422:Materials Testing; D011093:Polyethylene Terephthalates; D011897:Random Allocation; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D013536:Suture Techniques; D013537:Sutures; D013708:Tendon Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D013710:Tendons / Q000601:surgery; D013718:Tensile Strength
chemical_list: C014534:Ethibond; D011093:Polyethylene Terephthalates