REPAIR OF SOFT-TISSUE TO BONE USING A BIODEGRADABLE SUTURE ANCHOR

The medial collateral ligaments of 18 New Zealand rabbits were surgica lly detached from bone. In one knee, the ligament was repaired using a biodegradable suture anchor composed of a co-polymer of lactic and gl ycolic acid. The contralateral medial collateral ligament was not repa ired. Animals were sacrificed at 4, 8, and 12 weeks after the operatio n, and the knee that had the ligament repair was compared with the con tralateral control knee. All knees were tested manually tested for sta bility to valgus stress and then prepared for histologic examination. Medial collateral ligaments repaired using the biodegradable suture an chor demonstrated stability to valgus stress and anatomic healing at t he bone-tendon junction. Resorption of the implant was virtually compl ete by 12 weeks. All specimens demonstrated less inflammatory reaction to the suture anchor than to the attached Vicryl suture. This contras ts with the control group, which was grossly unstable and demonstrated scarring in this nonanatomic position. These results demonstrate effi cacy of this particular material of biodegradable implant and justify further investigative efforts.