| The aim of the present study is to evaluate ultrasonic suture welding in an animal model of rotator cuff repair with biomechanical and histological analyses. 46 Shoulders of 23 rabbits were randomly assigned to the following treatment groups: SHAM (N = 15), KNOT (N = 15), WELD (N = 16). Supraspinatus defects were surgically created and repaired with either Ethibond for KNOT shoulders or nylon for WELD shoulders. 18 Weeks post-operatively, all animals were sacrificed, and the shoulders underwent either biomechanical testing or histologic analysis. The maximum stress of the SHAM (20.63N/mm 2) group was significantly greater than both the KNOT (10.24N/mm 2) and WELD (8.32N/mm2) groups (P < 0.001). The stress of the KNOT and WELD groups were significantly lower than the SHAM group, but no differences were observed between KNOT and WELD groups. Both ultrasonic suture welding and arthroscopic knot tying are functionally efficacious, and either method can be utilized according to surgeon preference. |
