Biomechanical Comparison of 2 Patellar Fixation Techniques in Medial Patellofemoral Ligament Reconstruction: Transosseous Sutures vs Suture Anchors

BACKGROUND: Multiple techniques for fixing a graft to the patella in medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) reconstruction have been described; however, no single technique has been shown to be superior to another. PURPOSE/HYPOTHESIS: The purpose of this study was to compare the biomechanical performance of 2 different patellar fixation techniques: suture anchor (SA) and transosseous suture (TS) fixation. The hypothesis was that there would be no significant differences between the groups in ultimate failure load, stiffness, or elongation. STUDY DESIGN: Controlled laboratory study. METHODS: In this study, a new TS technique was biomechanically compared with the SA technique for MPFL reconstruction using 24 fresh-frozen mature porcine patellae and porcine flexor profundus tendons. The specimens were randomized into 2 groups undergoing MPFL reconstruction using either the SA technique or the TS technique (n = 12 per group). Fixation with TS was completed using 3 No. 2 UltraBraid sutures and three 2-mm transosseous tunnels. SA reconstruction was completed using 2 parallel 3.5-mm titanium SAs with 2 No. 2 UltraBraid sutures. We preconditioned each graft using a force between 5 and 20 N before cyclic loading. Then, the specimens were biomechanically tested (1000 cycles; 5-100 N; 1 Hz) and loaded under tension at 200 mm/min until failure. The ultimate failure load, stiffness, elongation, and failure mode were recorded for each specimen. The Shapiro-Wilk test and independent t tests were used to assess the data. RESULTS: The TS technique resulted in a significantly higher mean failure load than did the SA technique (496.18 ± 93.15 vs 399.43 ± 105.35 N; P = .03). The TS technique resulted in less stiffness than did the SA technique (55.42 ± 7.92 vs 72.11 ± 10.64 N/mm; P < .01). There was no significant difference between the groups in elongation. None of the graft fixation/patellar complexes failed during cyclic testing in either group. During the load-to-failure test, the most common mode of failure in the SA group was an anchor being pulled out of the bone, whereas that in the TS group was rupture of the suture material. CONCLUSION: MPFL reconstruction with 3 TSs provided a higher load to failure than did the commonly used fixation method involving SAs.