Scientific articleAnalysis of a Knotless Flexor Tendon Repair Using a Multifilament Stainless Steel Cable-Crimp System
Section snippets
Materials and Methods
We compared the parameters of the MFSS cable-crimp repair with a 4-strand cruciate FW repair. We measured the force of flexion of the intact tendon and then measured the force of flexion following repair. The percent change in this force was then calculated. We also measured the ultimate load and load at 2-mm gap,17, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35 which likely correlates with clinical performance.1, 16 We measured the time for the tendon repair and measured the length of surgical exposure
Repair time
The repair time for tendon repairs averaged 12 minutes for the 4-strand cruciate FW repair and less than 7 minutes for the 2-strand MFSS cable crimp repair.
Surgical exposure
The surgical exposure for the FW repair averaged 2.1 cm. The average exposure for the MFSS was 0.6 cm. All FW repairs required resection of C1 and A3 pulleys. Pulleys were retained in all 2-strand MFSS repairs.
Force of flexion, ultimate tensile strength, and 2-mm gap force
The force of flexion measured 89 ± 35% and 53 ± 18% for the 4-strand cruciate FW repair and 2-strand MFSS cable crimp repair,
Discussion
Despite advances in flexor tendon repair and identification of factors that affect the outcome of these repairs, there remains a need for a repair that is simple and fast and results in a strong, stiff construct.6, 8, 36 In this study, we report on a 2-strand cable crimp repair with a 3-0 MFSS cable that satisfies these criteria. This repair uses a single cross-lock stitch, requires minimal surgical exposure, and requires approximately half the surgical time to complete the repair when compared
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2014, Journal of Hand SurgeryCitation Excerpt :The repair time will also likely be increased compared to other 4-core or 6-core double-stranded repair configurations. The Winters-Gelberman repair is an 8-core repair using a double-stranded suture (Fig. 4).15,24–31 The configuration involves multiple locking loops and resembles a double Pennington configuration.
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The authors thank Blane Uthman for his invaluable technical support during the entire testing and experimental process.
Funding for this research was provided by Pontis Orthopaedics. L.G. owns stock in Pontis Orthopaedics. J.G. is an immediate family member of L.G.