Novel ultrasound assisted suture anchor system using the BoneWelding® technology yields a comparable primary stability in osteopenic and healthy human humeri as a benchmark anchor

Clinical results of the BoneWelding®Fiji® anchor for the treatment of Stener lesions of the thumb

INTRODUCTION

A new technology (Sportwelding®) was recently presented, which uses ultrasonic energy to meld a resorbable suture anchor at the interface with the host bone. A standardized clinical use was not investigated yet. This study prospectively evaluated the surgical and clinical outcomes of the Fiji Anchor® (Sportwelding®, Schlieren, Switzerland) in the repair of an ulnar collateral ligament lesion of the metacarpophalangeal joint of the thumb.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The range of motion, grip and pinch strength, disability of arm, shoulder and the hand (DASH) and patient rated evaluation (PRWE) score, pain, satisfaction, complications and adverse events were assessed in 24 patients after surgical treatment for an acute displaced rupture or avulsion of the ulnar collateral metacarpophalangeal ligament of the thumb using the Fiji Anchor® after 6, 12 and 52 weeks.

RESULTS

At final follow up, the range of motion of the metacarpophalangeal joint reached almost the contralateral side (49.3° SD 11.7°). Thumb opposition showed a Kapandji score of 9.7 (SD 0.5; range 9-10). Grip strength, the lateral, tip and the three jaw pinch showed nearly similar values compared to the contralateral side (83-101%). Pain was low (0.2 SD 0.7 at rest and 0.6 SD 1.0 during load). The DASH score was 5.0 (SD 7.3) and the PRWE score was 4.1 (SD 9.0). 81% of patients were very satisfied at final follow-up. Two patients were rated unstable during the follow-up period due to a second traumatic event. Three cases experienced difficulties during anchor insertion, whereby incorrect anchor insertion resulted in damage to the suture material; however, this was resolved after additional training.

CONCLUSION

One advantage of this anchor appears to be its stable fixation in cancellous bone. The surgical treatment of an ulnar collateral ligament lesion of the thumb using the Fiji Anchor® can lead to an excellent clinical outcome with a minor complication rate; however, long-term dangers and the cost effectiveness of the procedure are not known yet.

Clinical Safety and Efficacy of a Novel Ultrasound-Assisted Bioabsorbable Suture Anchor in Foot and Ankle Surgeries

BACKGROUND

Suture anchors have been used for soft tissue repair in orthopedic surgery for decades. Recently, bioabsorbable suture anchors have increased in popularity and have spurred the introduction of ultrasound-assisted systems. The purpose of our study was to determine the clinical safety and efficacy of a new ultrasound-assisted suture anchor system for foot and ankle procedures.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed 50 cases using the ultrasound-assisted suture anchor with at least 24 months of follow-up. We reviewed demographic data including comorbidities, type of procedure, adverse events, and clinical outcomes using the Foot and Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS) and visual analog scale (VAS) score. We divided complications into minor and major, with major complications requiring revision surgery or leading to long-term morbidity. Our primary outcome was complication rates and our secondary outcome was improvement in clinical scores.

RESULTS

The most frequent cases using the anchor included lateral ankle ligament reconstruction (n = 19), insertional Achilles repair (n = 15), lateral ligament reconstruction in conjunction with a total ankle arthroplasty (n = 6), and plantar plate repair (n = 3). There were 5 superficial wound infections that resolved with wound care and/or oral antibiotics. There were 3 major complications (6%): a deep wound infection that required an irrigation and debridement, a deep venous thrombosis, and a recurrence of varus deformity in a patient who underwent a total ankle arthroplasty with lateral ligament reconstruction. Only the varus deformity recurrence case could possibly be directly linked to the suture anchor (2% of all cases). VAS scores improved from 6.0 to 1.2 (P < .001) and FAOS improved from 54.7 to 94.2 (P < .001).

CONCLUSION

This bioabsorbable anchor was a safe device with low failure rates, and it was used for soft tissue repair cases in the foot and ankle with successful clinical outcomes.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level IV, retrospective case series.

All-Suture Anchor Settling After Arthroscopic Repair of Small and Medium Rotator Cuff Tears

BACKGROUND

All-suture anchors are increasingly being used in rotator cuff repair. However, there are debates on the micromotion of all-suture anchors.

PURPOSE

To perform rotator cuff repair on patients with rotator cuff tears and different shoulder bone mineral densities (BMDs) and investigate (1) where the anchor is located under the cortex, (2) if there is any anchor migration settling during follow-up, and (3) if structural outcome differs according to shoulder BMD.

STUDY DESIGN

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

METHODS

We retrospectively investigated 88 patients who underwent arthroscopic single-row repair for small- to medium-sized rotator cuff tears (age [mean ± SD], 58.8 ± 7.1 years) from 712 cases of rotator cuff tendon repair between November 2015 and February 2018. Inclusion criteria were as follows: use of an all-suture anchor; preoperative shoulder BMD; and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) conducted preoperatively, 2 days after surgery, and 10 months after surgery. Patients were excluded from the study if they underwent open rotator cuff repair (n = 118), got surgery with a double-row technique (n = 178), underwent surgery with anchors other than the all-suture type (n = 273), received anchor insertion in sites other than the greater tuberosity owing to concomitant procedures such as biceps tenodesis and subscapularis repair (n = 29), did not take preoperative shoulder BMD (n = 15), had more than a large-size tear (n = 6), and were lost to follow-up (n = 5). After compression of the all-suture anchor during surgery, the strands were pulled multiple times to ensure that the anchor was fixed onto the bone with appropriate tension. BMD was measured before surgery. Depth to anchor (DA), anchor settling, and repaired rotator cuff integrity were measured with MRI. Patients were categorized into 3 groups: group A (BMD, <0.4 g/cm²; n = 31), group B (BMD, 0.4-0.6 g/cm²; n = 32), and group C (BMD, >0.6 g/cm²; n = 25). A total of 65 patients had follow-up MRI. On the basis of rotator cuff tendon integrity, patients were categorized into either a sufficient thickness group (group S, Sugaya classification grade II or lower; n = 44) or an insufficient thickness group (group I, Sugaya classification grade III or higher; n = 21).

RESULTS

On time-zero MRI, the DA differed significantly among groups (group A, 3.62 ± 2.02 mm; group B, 5.18 ± 2.13 mm; group C, 6.30 ± 3.34 mm) (P = .001). The DA was deeper in patients with a higher BMD at time zero (r = 0.374; P = .001), but the DA did not differ at follow-up MRI (mean, 10.3 months after surgery). On follow-up MRI, anchor settling tended to increase with deeper time-zero DA (r = 0.769; P < .001). Anchor settling was significantly different among groups (group A, 1.33 ± 1.08 mm; group B, 2.78 ± 1.99 mm; group C, 3.81 ± 2.19 mm) (P = .001). The proportion of patients with sufficient thickness in each group did not show a statistical difference (group A, 70.8%; group B, 72.7%; group C, 57.9%) (P = .550).

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, this study confirmed that the postoperative site of anchor insertion in arthroscopic single-row rotator cuff repair with all-suture anchors was located farther from the cortex in patients with higher shoulder BMD and closer to the subcortical bone in patients with lower BMD. On follow-up MRI, no further settling occurred past a certain distance from the cortex, and there was no significant difference in anchor depth or integrity of the rotator cuff tendon based on shoulder BMD. Therefore, minimal settling in the all-suture anchor did not show clinical significance.