title: A biomechanical study of pediatric flexor profundus tendon repair. Comparing the tensile strengths of 3 suture techniques.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the tensile strength of repaired flexor profundus tendons in young lambs, which would be equivalent to repairs in children older than 2 years of age.
  
  
  METHODS
  A comparative in-vitro experimental study conducted at King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from October 2014 to December 2015. We utilized 30 flexor profundus tendons of young lambs with a width of 4 mm. All tendons were repaired with a 4-strand repair technique using 4/0 polypropylene core sutures. In group I (n=10 tendons), 2 separate figure-of-eight sutures were applied. In group II (n=10 tendons), simple locking sutures were added to the corners of 2 separate figure-of-eight sutures. In group III (n=10 tendons), the locked cruciate repair was used. All tendon repairs were tested to single-cycle tensile failure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no significant difference between groups II and III with regards to gap and breaking forces; and all forces of these 2 groups were significantly higher than the forces in group I.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It was concluded that 4 mm-wide pediatric flexor tendons allow a 4-strand repair and the use of 4/0 sutures. The use of locking sutures increases the tensile strength to values that may allow protective mobilization in children.
authors: King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. E-mail. tuk7tuk@hotmail.com.
authors: Turki A
authors: TA
authors: Al-Thunayan
authors: Mohammed T
authors: MT
authors: Al-Zahrani
authors: Ahmad A
authors: AA
authors: Hakeem
authors: Fahad M
authors: FM
authors: Al-Zahrani
authors: Mohammad M
authors: MM
authors: Al-Qattan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D012756:Sheep; D013536:Suture Techniques; D013710:Tendons / Q000601:surgery*; D013718:Tensile Strength