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Mechanical testing of absorbable suture anchors.

Dominik C Meyer1, Sandro F Fucentese, Kurt Ruffieux

  • 1Department of Orthopaedics, Balgrist, University of Zürich Zürich, Switzerland.

Arthroscopy : the Journal of Arthroscopic & Related Surgery : Official Publication of the Arthroscopy Association of North America and the International Arthroscopy Association
|February 13, 2003
PubMed
Summary

Absorbable suture anchors can fail structurally when loaded to their mechanical limit. These anchors are especially vulnerable to static, long-term loading, impacting their effectiveness in soft tissue fixation.

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Area of Science:

  • Biomaterials Science
  • Orthopedic Surgery
  • Biomechanical Engineering

Background:

  • Absorbable suture anchors offer advantages for soft tissue to bone fixation.
  • However, their mechanical weakness can compromise fixation integrity.
  • The anchor itself may represent the weakest link in the fixation construct.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To mechanically evaluate the in vitro performance of commercially available absorbable suture anchors.
  • To identify potential failure modes and limitations of these devices.

Main Methods:

  • A biomechanical bench study tested twelve absorbable suture anchor models.
  • Anchors were implanted in artificial bone and subjected to tensile load to failure and creep testing at 37°C.
  • Failure modes, load at failure, time to failure under creep load, anchor weight, and crystallinity were analyzed.

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Main Results:

  • Tensile failure loads ranged from 124 to 244 N.
  • Failure modes included eyelet failure (5/12), suture failure (6/12), and anchor pullout (1/12).
  • Creep testing revealed eyelet failure in 8/12 anchors within 99 hours; anchor weight correlated with mechanical properties, not crystallinity.

Conclusions:

  • Absorbable suture anchors are susceptible to structural failure (breaking) when subjected to their mechanical limits at body temperature.
  • These anchors demonstrate particular sensitivity to static, long-term loading conditions.
  • The findings highlight the importance of anchor material strength and behavior under sustained loads.