Purpose: The aims of the present study were to compare the biomechanical properties of tibial fixation in hamstring-graft ACL reconstruction using interference screw and a novel combination interference screw and dowel construct.
Material and methods: We compared the fixation of 30 (2- and 4-stranded gracilis and semitendinosis tendons) in 15 fresh-frozen porcine tibiae with a biocomposite resorbable interference screw (Group 1) and a screw and dowel construct (Group 2). Each graft was subjected to load-to-failure testing (50 mm/min) to determine maximum load, displacement at failure and pullout strength.
Results: There were no significant differences between the biomechanical properties of the constructs. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that combination constructs (β = 140.20, p = 0.043), screw diameter (β = 185, p = 0.006) and 4-strand grafts (β = 51, p = 0.050) were associated with a significant increase in load at failure. Larger screw diameter was associated with increased construct stiffness (β = 20.15, p = 0.020).
Conclusion: The screw and dowel construct led to significantly increased fixation properties compared to interference screws alone in a porcine model. Increased screw diameter and utilization of 4-strand ACL grafts also led to improvement in load-to-failure of the construct. However, this is an in vitro study and additional investigations are needed to determine whether the results are reproducible in vivo.
Level of evidence: Level V; Biomechanical study.
Keywords: Anterior cruciate ligament; Biomechanical strength; Interference screw; Tibial fixation.
© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag France SAS, part of Springer Nature.