A cruciate suture technique for rotator cuff repair

Purpose Re-establishment of the native footprint during rotator cuff repair is important for maximizing healing potential and fixation strength. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the contact area, contact pressure, stiffness and tensile strength of a new single-row cruciate suture repair and to compare these results to those of the Mason-Allen, double-row and transosseous repairs. Methods Infraspinatus tendons from fifty-six lamb shoulders were harvested and randomly assigned to cruciate suture, Mason-Allen, double-row and transosseous repair groups. Repairs were performed over pressure-sensitive film and footprint contact area and pressure measured. Repaired tendon specimens were also loaded in uniaxial tension, and ultimate tensile strength and stiffness measured. Results The cruciate suture repair established significantly greater footprint contact area compared to the Mason-Allen repair (mean difference = 101 mm 2 , p = 0.003). The ultimate tensile strength and stiffness of the double-row repair was significantly higher than that of all other repair groups ( p