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Veterinary surgery : VS2021; 50(6); 1296-1303; doi: 10.1111/vsu.13659

Ex vivo mechanical testing of various suture patterns for use in tendon plating.

Abstract: To determine the influence of suture patterns on resistance to gap formation after tendon plating STUDY DESIGN: Ex vivo study SAMPLE POPULATION: Suspensory ligament and superficial and deep digital flexor tendons harvested from 16 neonatal cadaver foal limbs. Methods: Each tendon/ligament from a given limb was randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups consisting of a 7-hole veterinary cuttable plate fixed with alternating simple interrupted, figure-8, or hybrid suture patterns. The constructs were distracted at a rate of 1.0 mm/s to failure, as determined by the formation of a 1 mm gap for initial failure and a 3 mm gap for ultimate failure. The mode of failure was also recorded. Results: Constructs prepared with hybrid and figure-8 patterns sustained over 2× higher (p < .01) forces before gap formation compared to those prepared with a simple interrupted pattern. No difference was identified between tendons whose plate was secured with hybrid or figure-8 suture patterns. Mode of failure between groups did not differ. Conclusions: The figure-8 and hybrid patterns described herein improved the resistance to gap formation of plated tendons compared to an alternating simple interrupted pattern described previously. Conclusions: Figure-8 and hybrid patterns should be considered over simple interrupted patterns to improve resistance to gap formation in horses undergoing tendon plating.
© 2021 The Authors. Veterinary Surgery published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American College of Veterinary Surgeons.
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Publication Date: 2021-06-02 PubMed ID: 34076285DOI: 10.1111/vsu.13659Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research was centered around examining and comparing various suture techniques for tendon plating in horses, and identifying which of these methods provided the greatest resistance to gap formation.

Study Design and Methodology

  • The study involved the use of ligaments and tendons from the limbs of 16 neonatal foal cadavers in an ex vivo setting (meaning the testing occurred outside of an organism).
  • The tendon/ligament from each limb was randomly assigned to one of three categories, differing by the suture pattern used: alternating simple interrupted, figure-8, or hybrid.
  • A treatment involved using a 7-hole veterinary cuttable plate, which was secured to the tendons/ligaments with one of the three mentioned suture patterns.
  • The devices were subjected to stress at a rate of 1.0 mm/sec until failure, which was defined by the formation of a minimum 1mm gap (initial failure) or a 3mm gap (ultimate failure).

Findings

  • The test results uncovered that the tendons affixed with the hybrid or figure-8 suturing methods had over 2 times greater resistance to gap formation when compared to those fastened with the simple interrupted pattern.
  • No distinction was found in the strength between tendons that had been plated with the hybrid sutures and those with figure-8 sutures.
  • The specific mode, or manner, of failure did not differ across groups, indicating that the suture pattern did not determine the type of failure.

Conclusion

  • The figure-8 and hybrid suture patterns, according to this research, enhanced resistance to gap development in tendon plating when compared to an alternating simple interrupted pattern.
  • In future operations involving tendon plating in horses, the authors recommend considering the figure-8 and hybrid patterns over simple interrupted patterns to boost resistance to gap formation.

Cite This Article

APA
Hale MJ, Zellner EM, Naiman JH, Kraus KH. (2021). Ex vivo mechanical testing of various suture patterns for use in tendon plating. Vet Surg, 50(6), 1296-1303. https://doi.org/10.1111/vsu.13659

Publication

Veterinary surgery : VS
ISSN: 1532-950X
NlmUniqueID: 8113214
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 50
Issue: 6
Pages: 1296-1303

Researcher Affiliations

Hale, Michael J
  • Dallas Veterinary Surgical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA.
Zellner, Eric M
  • Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA.
Naiman, Jaron H
  • Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA.
Kraus, Karl H
  • Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Biomechanical Phenomena
  • Cadaver
  • Horse Diseases / surgery
  • Horses
  • Mechanical Tests
  • Suture Techniques / veterinary
  • Sutures / veterinary
  • Tendon Injuries / surgery
  • Tendon Injuries / veterinary
  • Tendons / surgery
  • Tensile Strength

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Citations

This article has been cited 2 times.
  1. Huidan Z, Kang J, Kim N, Heo S. Ex Vivo Biomechanical Assessment of Various Repair Techniques in a Rabbit Calcaneal Tendon Avulsion Model: Application of Polycaprolactone Plate. Vet Sci 2023 Apr 12;10(4).
    doi: 10.3390/vetsci10040289pubmed: 37104444google scholar: lookup
  2. Abd El-Aziz MY, Elgohary DH, Abo El Amaim YA, Hassan EA. Ex vivo mechanical testing of double strand, braided and knitted polyethylene suture for acute transverse section of the Achilles tendon in a dog model. J Orthop Surg Res 2025 May 30;20(1):545.
    doi: 10.1186/s13018-025-05947-1pubmed: 40442722google scholar: lookup
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