Single- and Double-Loaded All-Suture Anchor Repairs of Anteroinferior Labral Tears Are Biomechanically Similar in a Cadaveric Shoulder Model

Byron Ellis; Todd Baldini; Elisabeth Geraghty; Eric McCarty

doi:10.1016/j.asmr.2022.07.011

Single- and Double-Loaded All-Suture Anchor Repairs of Anteroinferior Labral Tears Are Biomechanically Similar in a Cadaveric Shoulder Model

Arthrosc Sports Med Rehabil. 2022 Sep 19;4(6):e1933-e1939. doi: 10.1016/j.asmr.2022.07.011. eCollection 2022 Dec.

Authors

Byron Ellis¹, Todd Baldini², Elisabeth Geraghty³, Eric McCarty⁴

Affiliations

¹ University of Colorado-Denver, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
² Department of Orthopedics, University of Colorado, School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
³ CU Sports Medicine and Performance Center, Boulder, Colorado, USA.
⁴ Department of Orthopedics, University of Colorado, School of Medicine, CU Sports Medicine and Performance Center, Boulder, Colorado, USA.

Abstract

Purpose: To compare the biomechanical strength of single- versus double-loaded all-suture constructs in an anteroinferior glenoid labral repair.

Methods: Anteroinferior labral lesions were created on 6 matched pairs of cadaveric shoulder specimens. Each shoulder in a matched pair was randomized to either receive capsulolabral repair with 3 single-loaded all-suture anchors or 3 double-loaded all-suture anchors. Immediately following capsulolabral repair, the specimens underwent mechanical testing, which included cyclic testing (5 N to 50 N for 500 cycles) and load-to-failure testing (rate of 15 mm/min). The gap formation between the repaired labrum and glenoid (measured at 1, 25, 100, and 500 cycles), the load at 2-mm gap formation, the maximum load at failure and the method of failure were recorded. Data were analyzed with paired Student t tests and Bonferroni correction factor.

Results: The single and double all-suture constructs did not differ significantly in gap formation at any number of cycles, load to 2-mm gap formation (P = .75), or maximum load to failure (P = .46) between the 2 groups.

Conclusions: In this study, single-loaded and double-loaded all-suture anchor constructs demonstrated comparable biomechanical performance and did not significantly differ in gap formation, load to 2-mm gap formation, or maximum load to failure when used in the capsulolabral repair of anteroinferior glenoid labral tears in human cadaveric specimens.

Clinical relevance: Although studies have evaluated the biomechanical properties of various arthroscopic labral stabilization techniques, the biomechanical properties of all-suture anchors with regard to labral stabilization are not well understood.