Purpose
To compare the effect of independent suture tape reinforcement on the dynamic elongation
and stiffness behavior as well as ultimate strength of tripled smaller-diameter and
quadrupled soft-tissue grafts for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR)
with tibial screw fixation in a biomechanical in vitro study.
Methods
Tripled smaller-diameter (8 mm) and quadrupled (9 mm) bovine tendon grafts with and
without suture tape reinforcement (n = 8 in each group) were tested using femoral
suspensory and tibial interference screw fixation. The suture tape was femoral sided
and fixed independent from the graft by passing it through the suspensory button and
securing the 2 open tibial strands with a secondary interference screw. Dynamic testing
was performed in position and force control at 250 N and 400 N, followed by pull to
failure with the mode of failure noted. Dynamic elongation, stiffness, and ultimate
strength were analyzed.
Results
Tripled constructs showed a significantly worse structural performance than quadrupled
constructs at higher loads. Reinforcement of tripled and quadrupled grafts substantially
decreased total elongation by 56% (4.54 ± 0.75 mm vs 2.01 ± 0.50 mm, P < .001) and 39% (3.25 ± 0.49 mm vs 1.98 ± 0.51 mm, P < .001), respectively, by significantly increasing dynamic stiffness. No statistical
significance was found between the reinforced groups. Failure loads of reinforced
tripled (1,074 ± 148 N vs 829 ± 100 N, P = .003) and quadrupled (1,125 ± 157 N vs 939 ± 76 N, P = .023) grafts were also significantly improved.
Conclusions
Independent reinforcement of soft-tissue grafts with suture tape strengthened the
performance especially of tripled smaller-diameter grafts for ACLR with tibial screw
fixation by significantly improving dynamic elongation at increased stiffness and
ultimate strength. Quadrupled reinforced grafts showed no over-constraining and structurally
behaved similarly to tripled grafts with reinforcement.
Clinical Relevance
Independent reinforcement for ACLR may provide an option for protecting autografts
or allografts against irreversible lengthening during the maturation and remodeling
phases of healing.
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: December 31, 2019
Accepted:
June 22,
2019
Received:
May 29,
2018
Footnotes
See commentary on page 490
The authors report the following potential conflicts of interest or sources of funding: The study was supported by Arthrex. S.B. is an employee of Arthrex. C.A.W. is an employee of Arthrex. A.B. is a paid consultant for Arthrex. Full ICMJE author disclosure forms are available for this article online, as supplementary material.
Identification
Copyright
© 2019 by the Arthroscopy Association of North America
ScienceDirect
Access this article on ScienceDirectLinked Article
- Editorial Commentary: Will Suture Tape Augmentation Prove to Be the Answer to Anterior Cruciate Ligament Graft Remodeling, Ultimate Strength, and Safe Return to Play?ArthroscopyVol. 36Issue 2
- PreviewAnterior cruciate ligament graft augmentation may protect the graft during the early phases of graft remodeling. A concern is stress-shielding, and recent time-zero biomechanical models are promising in this regard. To get the best answer, it will require in vivo healing studies conducted in animals, and eventually human studies using non-invasive imaging techniques, and ultimately clinical outcome studies including evaluation of return to play in athletes. For now, until additional research studies are available, this type of augmentation is best reserved as an option in carefully selected patients with a small graft size at the time of harvest.
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