Abstract
BackgroundRepair of a meniscal tear is indicated in certain conditions. Despite extensive research on the biomechanics of various repair methods, there has been minimal investigation of whether the suture material influences the meniscal-suture construct. The purpose of this study was to compare the biomechanical properties of nine different suture materials under cyclic and load-to-failure conditions.MethodsNinety porcine menisci were randomly allocated to simple suture placement using either Ultrabraid®, Ultratape®, Magnum Wire®, TigerWire®, TigerTape®, LabralTape®, Orthocord®, 0 FiberWire®, or 2-0 FiberWire®. Each suture-meniscus specimen underwent cyclic loading followed by load-to-failure testing. Elongation, maximum load to failure, stiffness, and mode of failure were recorded and compared between each suture type using non-parametric testing. Mean ± standard deviation was reported and the statistical significance was p < 0.05.ResultsElongation during cyclic loading was lowest with 2-0 FiberWire (0.95 ± 0.17 mm); this value was statistically significantly different than the results for all other sutures except 0 FiberWire® (1.09 ± 0.17 mm, p = 0.79), TigerWire® (1.09 ± 0.29 mm, p = 0.85), TigerTape® (1.39 ± 0.29 mm, p = 0.08), and LabralTape® (1.20 ± 0.33 mm, p = 0.41). The highest elongation was seen with Ultrabraid® (1.91 ± 0.34 mm); this value was statistically significantly greater than the results for all other suture materials except Orthocord® (1.59 mm ± 0.31 mm, p = 0.46) and Magnum Wire® (1.43 ± 0.25 mm, p = 0.14). Load to failure was highest for TigerTape® (287.43 ± 41.15 N), and this result was statistically significantly different than the results for all other sutures except LabralTape® (271.34 ± 48.48 N, p = 0.99) and TigerWire® (251.03 ± 25.8 N, p = 0.51). Stiffness was highest for LabralTape® (195.77 ± 49.06 N/mm), and this result was statistically significantly different than the results for all other sutures except TigerWire® (186.49 ± 19.83 N/mm, p = 0.45) and TigerTape® (173.35 ± 15.60 N/mm, p = 0.19). The majority of sutures failed by pullout (n = 46, 51%) or tearing (n = 40, 45%).ConclusionSuture design and material affect the biomechanical behavior of porcine meniscal-suture specimens. LabralTape®, TigerWire®, and TigerTape® demonstrated better overall combinations of low elongation, high maximum load to failure, and high stiffness.
Highlights
Meniscal tears are one of the most common pathologies encountered in the knee with an incidence of 66 per 100,000 [1]
The purpose of this study was to compare the biomechanical properties of nine different suture materials in a porcine meniscus model under both cyclic and load-to-failure conditions
Porcine menisci were utilized because their mechanical properties are more consistent with those of young healthy adult human menisci compared to elderly cadavers, and porcine menisci are commonly used to evaluate meniscus repair in orthopedic research [19, 22,23,24,25,26]
Summary
Meniscal tears are one of the most common pathologies encountered in the knee with an incidence of 66 per 100,000 [1]. Several studies have demonstrated an association between meniscal tears, osteonecrosis, highgrade chondral lesions, and progressive osteoarthritis [2,3,4,5]. These complications may be a result of increased tibiofemoral contact pressure secondary to decreased contact area, which has led to increased interest in meniscal repairs [6,7,8,9,10]. Despite extensive research on the biomechanics of various repair methods, there has been minimal investigation of whether the suture material influences the meniscal-suture construct. The purpose of this study was to compare the biomechanical properties of nine different suture materials under cyclic and load-to-failure conditions
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