Pull-out strength of suture anchors for rotator cuff and Bankart lesion repairs

Surgical reconstructions of anterior-inferior shoulder instabilities and rotator cuff injuries require secure fixation of soft tissue to bone. Sutures are inserted directly through transosseous tunnels in current techniques, which are surgically complex and not always adequate for fixation strength. Using fresh-frozen cadaveric human specimens, our objectives were 1) to compare immediate pull-out strength of two versions of polyacetal suture anchors (wedge and rod) with conventional suture-only attachment techniques in Bankart lesion and rotator cuff repairs, and 2) to compare pull-out strength of the two polyacetal suture anchors with a metallic suture anchor. Our results indicate no significant differences in fixation strength of Bankart lesions or rotator cuff repairs using sutures only, or using wedge or rod polyacetal suture anchors (P = 0.70). Pull-out force did not differ significantly (P = 0.37) between the two polyacetal anchors. Polyacetal anchors exhibited higher pull-out forces than metallic anchors when inserted into metaphyseal regions of the tibia and significantly higher pull-out forces (P < 0.001) when inserted into metaphyseal regions with thicker cortical walls. Our results indicate that both polyacetal suture anchors provide adequate immediate fixation for soft tissue repairs in the human shoulder.