Bioabsorbable Versus Metal Screw in the Fixation of Tibial Tubercle Transfer: A Cadaveric Biomechanical Study

In tibial tubercle transfer (TTT) procedures, the osteotomized and transferred tibial tubercle is usually fixed into the host bone using metal screws.

To compare the strength of fixation provided by a single bioabsorbable screw versus a metal screw for TTT.

Controlled laboratory study.

Twenty-two pairs of human cadaveric tibiae were used to compare the fixation strength of a single 4.5-mm bicortical bioabsorbable or metal screw for TTT. In our 2-phase biomechanical testing protocol, the specimens were first subjected to a cyclic-loading test (1500 loading cycles between 50 and 300 N at 0.5 Hz frequency), after which they were loaded to failure (single-cycle load-to-failure test). To control for possible differences in bone quality, volumetric bone mineral density was determined using peripheral quantitative computed tomography.

No significant displacement differences were observed between the 2 groups for the cyclic-loading test. In the subsequent single-cycle load-to-failure test, the mean yield load was 566 ± 234 N in the bioabsorbable screw group and 984 ± 630 N in the metal screw group (P = .002). The failure mode of bioabsorbable screws was breakage and/or bending, and that of metal screws was bending and/or pull-out. Bone density was similar in the 2 groups.

A metal screw seems to provide greater fixation strength than a biodegradable screw in the TTT of a human cadaveric knee. However, considering the maximum quadriceps pull in vivo, the strength of fixation provided by a biodegradable screw seems clinically sufficient.

Bioabsorbable screws, particularly if used in duplicate, could provide a viable option for metal screws in TTT fixation.