Abstract
Objectives:
To evaluate the displacement, stiffness after cyclical loading, and load to failure for a continuous vertical inside-out meniscal suture compared to a traditional vertical inside-out meniscal suture in a porcine medial meniscus.
Methods:
Twenty-eight porcine knees were divided into 2 groups of 14 medial menisci each. A 2.0-cm longitudinal cut was made in the red-white zone of the medial meniscus in each knee. The continuous suture (CS) group received 4 vertical stitches using a continuous vertical suture technique, while the inside-out suture (IO) group received a traditional vertical suture with 4 stitches. The specimens underwent load-to-failure testing at 5 mm/s, and displacement, system stiffness, and maximum load to failure were compared between the groups.
Results:
Displacement after the cyclic test was 0.53 ± 0.12 mm for the CS group and 0.48 ± 0.07 mm for the IO group, with no significant difference (P = .2792). Stiffness at ultimate load testing was 36.3 ± 1.9 N/mm for the CS group and 35.3 ± 2.4 N/mm for the IO group (P = .2557). In the load-to-failure test, the ultimate load was 218.2 ± 63.9 N for the CS group and 238.3 ± 71.3 N for the IO group (P = .3062), showing no significant differences between the groups.
Conclusion:
The continuous vertical meniscal suture provided biomechanical results similar to the traditional vertical suture technique for the treatment of longitudinal meniscal lesions, offering a viable alternative for meniscal repair.