Comparison of a new multifilament stainless steel suture with frequently used sutures for flexor tendon repair.

PURPOSE: To investigate the mechanical properties of some common suture materials currently in use and compare them with a new multifilament stainless steel suture. METHODS: We investigated the mechanical properties of 3-0 and 4-0 Fiberwire, 3-0 Supramid, 3-0 Ethibond, and a new 3-0 and 4-0 multifilament stainless steel suture. All suture material was tested in a knotted configuration and all but the Supramid was tested in an unknotted configuration. We measured the load, elongation at failure, and stiffness during both tests. RESULTS: The 4-0 multifilament stainless steel showed the least elongation, whereas the 3-0 multifilament stainless steel withstood the highest load of any material in both the knotted and unknotted tests. There was no difference in stiffness between the 3-0 and 4-0 multifilament stainless steel when untied; however, the 3-0 multifilament stainless steel was stiffer when tied. Soaking in a saline solution had no significant effect on the ultimate load, elongation at failure, or stiffness of any of the sutures. The 3-0 Fiberwire and 3-0 Ethibond required at least 5 throws to resist untying. CONCLUSIONS: Multifilament stainless steel exhibited promising mechanical advantages over the other sutures tested. More research is needed to determine how this material will affect the clinical outcomes of primary flexor tendon repair. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: With a secure attachment to the tendon, the multifilament stainless steel's lower elongation and better knot-holding ability may result in a higher force to produce a 2-mm gap and a higher ultimate tensile strength in a tendon repair.

Effects of mixing techniques on vancomycin-impregnated polymethylmethacrylate.

The use of antibiotic-impregnated polymethylmethacrylate in joint arthroplasty is widespread. The Food and Drug Administration has approved commercially prepared antibiotic bone cement, but in a climate of increasingly drug-resistant bacteria, orthopedic surgeons often hand-mix their own. A recent study reported the effects on drug elution of different mixing methods designed to decrease antibiotic particle size and distribute those particles more uniformly. Theoretically, these mixing techniques could also improve antibiotic cement strength; however, the actual effects of these techniques on cement strength are undefined. In the present study, 3 different methods of mixing vancomycin with bone cement were compared. We conclude that the addition of vancomycin to polymethylmethacrylate at commonly accepted concentrations does substantially decrease cement strength and that more complex mixing techniques do not improve cement strength significantly.

Biomechanical analysis of cervicothoracic junction osteotomy in cadaveric model of ankylosing spondylitis: effect of rod material and diameter.

OBJECT: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a genetic condition that frequently results in spinal sagittal plane deformity of thoracolumbar or cervicothoracic junctions. Generally, a combination of osteotomy and spinal fixation is used to treat severe cases. Although surgical techniques for traumatic injury across the cervicothoracic junction have been well characterized in clinical and biomechanical literature, the specific model of instrumented opening wedge osteotomy in autofused AS has not been studied biomechanically. This study characterizes the structural stability of various posterior fixation techniques across the cervicothoracic junction in spines with AS, specifically considering the effects of posterior rod diameter and material type. METHODS: For each of 10 fresh-frozen human spines (3 male, 7 female; mean age 60 ± 10 years; C3-T6), an opening wedge osteotomy was performed at C7-T1. Lateral mass screws were inserted bilaterally from C-4 to C-6 and pedicle screws from T-1 to T-3. For each specimen, 3.2-mm titanium (Ti), 3.5-mm Ti, and 3.5-mm cobalt chromium (CoCr) posterior spinal fusion rods were tested. To simulate the anterior autofusion and long lever arms characteristic of AS, anterior cervical plates were placed from C-4 to C-7 and T-1 to T-3 using fixed angle screws. Nondestructive flexion-extension, lateral bending, and axial rotation tests were conducted to 3.0 Nm in each anatomical direction; 3D motion tracking was used to monitor primary range of motion across the osteotomy (C7-T1). Biomechanical tests used a repeat-measures test design. The order of testing for each rod type was randomized across specimens. RESULTS: Constructs instrumented with 3.5-mm Ti and 3.5-mm CoCr rods were significantly stiffer in flexion-extension than those with the 3.2-mm Ti rod (25.2% ± 16.4% and 48.1% ± 15.3% greater than 3.2-mm Ti, respectively, p < 0.05). For axial rotation, the 3.5-mm Ti and 3.5-mm CoCr constructs also exhibited a significant increase in rigidity compared with the 3.2-mm Ti construct (36.1% ± 12.2% and 52.0% ± 20.0%, respectively, p < 0.05). There were no significant differences in rigidity seen between the 3 types of rods in lateral bending (p > 0.05). The 3.5-mm CoCr rod constructs showed significantly higher rigidity in flexion-extension than the 3.5-mm Ti rod constructs (33.1% ± 15.5%, p < 0.05). There was a trend for 3.5-mm CoCr to have greater rigidity in axial rotation (36.2% ± 18.6%), but this difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that 3.5-mm CoCr rods are optimal for achieving the most rigid construct in opening wedge osteotomy in the cervicothoracic region of an AS model. Rod diameter and material properties should be considered in construct strategy. Some surgeons have advocated anterior plating in patients with AS after osteotomy for additional stability and bone graft surface. Although this effect was not examined in this study, additional posterior stability achieved with CoCr may decrease the need for additional anterior procedures.

Tibial plateau fracture repairs augmented with calcium phosphate cement have higher in situ fatigue strength than those with autograft.

OBJECTIVES: This study compared the biomechanical fatigue strength of calcium phosphate augmented repairs versus autogenous bone graft (ABG) repairs in lateral tibia plateau fractures. METHODS: Eight matched pairs of tibias (six male, two female; age, 75 ± 14 years) were harvested from fresh-frozen cadavers. Reproducible split-depression fractures were simulated and repaired by an orthopaedic traumatologist using a lateral tibial plateau plate. One tibia from each donor was randomly assigned to either calcium phosphate (Callos; Acumed, Hillsboro, OR) or ABG as augmentation. The femoral component of a hemitotal knee arthroplasty was attached to the actuator of a servohydraulic press and centered above the repair site. Cyclic, physiological compression loads were applied at 4Hz starting with a maximum load of 15% body weight and increasing by 15% body weight every 70,000 cycles. Loading conditions were determined from calculations of weight distribution, joint contact area, and gait characterization from existing literature. Repair site depression and stiffness were measured at regular intervals. Specimens were then loaded to failure at 1 mm/min. RESULTS: Calcium phosphate augmented repairs subsided less and were more stiff during the fatigue loading than were ABG repairs at the 70,000, 140,000, and 210,000 cycle intervals (P < 0.03) All repairs survived to 210,000 cycles. The average ultimate load of the calcium phosphate repairs was 2241 ± 455 N (N = 6) and 1717 ± 508 N (N = 8) for ABG repairs (P = 0.02). CONCLUSION: Calcium phosphate repairs have significantly higher fatigue strength and ultimate load than ABG repairs and may increase the immediate weightbearing capabilities of the repaired knee.

The tissue diagnostic instrument.

Tissue mechanical properties reflect extracellular matrix composition and organization, and as such, their changes can be a signature of disease. Examples of such diseases include intervertebral disk degeneration, cancer, atherosclerosis, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, and tooth decay. Here we introduce the tissue diagnostic instrument (TDI), a device designed to probe the mechanical properties of normal and diseased soft and hard tissues not only in the laboratory but also in patients. The TDI can distinguish between the nucleus and the annulus of spinal disks, between young and degenerated cartilage, and between normal and cancerous mammary glands. It can quantify the elastic modulus and hardness of the wet dentin left in a cavity after excavation. It can perform an indentation test of bone tissue, quantifying the indentation depth increase and other mechanical parameters. With local anesthesia and disposable, sterile, probe assemblies, there has been neither pain nor complications in tests on patients. We anticipate that this unique device will facilitate research on many tissue systems in living organisms, including plants, leading to new insights into disease mechanisms and methods for their early detection.