A recent study published in the Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery compared the biomechanical properties between the suture fixation technique and the screw fixation technique for tibial eminence fracture (TEF).

This study followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane were searched from inception to January 2019 comparing the suture and the screw fixation technique for TEF.

Overall, six laboratory studies were included with a total of 114 knees – 57 knees were in the ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) core suture group and an equal number of knees were in the single-screw group. The findings revealed that the suture group had higher stiffness than the screw group, but there was no statistical difference between these two groups. Additionally, the ultimate failure load in the suture group was statistically higher than that in the screw group. However, there was no statistically significant difference in displacement after the cyclic testing between the suture group and the screw group.

From the results, it was inferred that UHMWPE core suture fixation may be biomechanically superior to a single screw fixation for TEF treatment of mature knees—with respect to the ultimate failure load, despite the absence of a significant difference between the two fixations, in terms of stiffness and displacement after cyclic testing.

Source: Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery. 2020 Jan-Apr;28(1):2309499020907977. doi: 10.1177/2309499020907977.