Biomechanical evaluation of interference screw fixation in a bovine patellar bone-tendon-bone autograft complex for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

Abstract

A bovine model was developed for biomechanical evaluation of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction using patellar bone-tendon-bone (b-t-b) autograft to examine the differences in time zero fixation mechanical properties of different interference screw lengths and diameters. The surgical technique of interference screw fixation of the b-t-b complex performed clinically was reproduced in a controlled animal model. The femur-patellar tendon graft-tibia complex was tested with anterior displacement of the tibia in 30 degrees of knee flexion to allow examination of the femoral and tibial fixation properties simultaneously. The statistical model concurrently explored differences between screw length and diameter while accounting for variations between graft properties. No statistically significant differences were found between the 7- and 9-mm screws with respect to peak load or energy to failure when using a 10-mm triangular graft in a 10-mm tunnel. The 7- and 9-mm screws were superior to the 5.5-mm screws with respect to these same parameters. Based on our results, the 7-mm interference screws can be used with equal confidence as the 9-mm screw, and the 20-mm length can be similarly exchanged for 30-mm length for patellar b-t-b graft fixation.