Barbed versus smooth poly- propylene three-loop pulley sutures for repair of canine gastrocnemius tendon

B. S. Perry; T. A. Harper; M. A. Mitchell; M. S. McFadden; B. Heggem Perry

doi:10.3415/VCOT-14-06-0089

Veterinary and Comparative Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Table of Contents

Vet Comp Orthop Traumatol 2014; 27(06): 436-440
DOI: 10.3415/VCOT-14-06-0089

Original Research

Schattauer GmbH

Barbed versus smooth poly- propylene three-loop pulley sutures for repair of canine gastrocnemius tendon

B. S. Perry

¹Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, USA

,

T. A. Harper

¹Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, USA

,

M. A. Mitchell

¹Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, USA

,

M. S. McFadden

²North Houston Veterinary Specialists, Spring, Texas, USA

,

B. Heggem Perry

¹Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, USA

› Author Affiliations

Abstract

Summary

Objective: To compare the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and load to 1 and 3 mm gap formation of smooth (3-metric) and knotless barbed (4-metric) polypropylene sutures placed in a three-loop pulley pattern for canine gastrocnemius tendon repair.

Study design: In vitro.

Sample size: Thirty-three paired bonetendon units with one of each pair assigned to each suture type. Barbed suture size was based on previously published materials testing results.

Methods: Each unit was placed in a servohydraulic testing machine and tested under single cycle tensile loading until repair failure.

Results: There was a significantly higher UTS for smooth polypropylene compared to the barbed polypropylene repairs. The loads resulting in 1 and 3 mm gaps for the barbed repairs were consistently significantly less than the corresponding smooth polypropylene repair values.

Conclusion: The knotted smooth polypropylene repair was consistently stronger than the knotless barbed polypropylene repair when placed in a three-loop pulley pattern for gastrocnemius repair.

Clinical significance: Knotless barbed polypropylene suture should not be considered equivalent to knotted smooth polypropylene of comparable tensile strength when placed in a three-loop pulley pattern for canine gastrocnemius tendon repair. The low failure loads of the barbed repair are probably due to failure of the barbs to anchor consistently throughout the tendon in the knotless configuration.

Keywords

Barbed suture - tensile testing - polypropylene - ultimate tensile strength

Full Text

References

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