Comparison of screw post fixation and free bone block interference fixation for anterior cruciate ligament soft tissue grafts: Biomechanical considerations

Endoscopic (single-incision) anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction with bone patellar tendon bone can usually be secured with interference screws on the femur and tibia. Infrequently, patella alta, which results in a longer tendinous component of the graft construct, can result in construct mismatch, resulting in a large portion of the tibial bone plug extruding from the tibial tunnel, requiring graft fixation with staples or a suture/screw and post technique. This study investigated the hypothesis that initial graft fixation could be enhanced if the bone plug was removed and press fit into the tibial tunnel and then secured with an interference screw in the scenario of graft construct mismatch. Initial biomechanical fixation strengths of bovine patellar tendon were compared using a screw and post suture fixation compared with a free bone plug, which was removed from the graft and sandwiched along with the soft tissue with an interference screw. Twenty-eight bovine knees were randomly divided into two groups. Graft fixation was performed with a free bone plug excised from the tibial tubercle portion of the bone tendon bone construct. Fixation was achieved with a cannulated 9-mm × 20-mm interference screw. Fixation was performed in group 2 patients with a Krackow suture of no. 5 Tieron secured over a screw and post. An Instron materials testing system was used and loading rates at 1 mm/sec until failure was performed. Statistically significant differences were noted for load to failure and stiffness ( P < .001). Group 1 specimens' mean maximum load to failure was 669 N (range, 511 to 819 N), whereas the load to failure for group 2 patients was 374 N (range, 266 to 491 N). Group 1 stiffness was 90 N/mm (range, 50 to 122 N/m) compared with a mean stiffness of 24 N/m (range, 16 to 33 N/m) for group 2 knees. In our bovine model, free bone block interference fixation was stronger and stiffer than fixation using sutures tied over a post. This fixation method of securing a soft tissue graft with an interference screw warrants further clinical investigation and may offer an improvement to the alternative of suture/post fixation.