Patient Education
Comparing Suture Techniques in Repairs of the Rotator Cuff
Orthopedic surgeons are making rotator cuff repairs using arthroscopic techniques. Studies show that this method produces results similar to the standard open incision or mini-open repairs. But the failure rate is much higher for arthroscopic shoulder repairs compared to mini-open and open repairs. And other studies have shown that repair failure occurs most often during the first two months. In this study, sutures used to repair a torn rotator cuff are compared using three different techniques. The hope was to understand immediate repair strength as it relates to early failures. The goal is to find ways to reduce failures caused by suture failure. Thirty human shoulders from cadavers were used in this study. All shoulders were free of any rotator cuff tears. The cadavers were matched as closely as possible for age and bone quality. A defect in the supraspinatus tendon of the rotator cuff was then surgically created and repaired. Repair techniques included Mason-Allen sutures, the knotless anchor method, and the corkscrew suture anchor method. These are all double-row suture techniques. The medial row was always done with two suture anchors. The lateral row used one of the techniques just mentioned. The authors describe the formation and placement of each type of suture. Cyclic load was then applied to the repairs until 5,000 cycles or failure occurred (whichever came first). Five thousand cycles is equal to 50 loading cycles during daily activities for the first 12 weeks after surgery. This type of biomechanical testing is common in studies of this kind. Here's what the researchers found:
