Dynamic observation on the effects of different suture techniques on the biomechanical properties in the healing of tendons.

To identify the best suture techniques for the tendon repair, the biomechanical properties of tendons sutured by different methods were dynamically examined. 140 chickens were divided into 2 groups equally: group A and group B. The tendon of the right side was subjected to injury-repair process, and the tendons of the left sides served as controls in both groups. In group A, "figure-of-8" suture, modified Kessler suture and Bunnell suture were used for the 2nd to 4th paws respectively, while in group B, Kleinert suture, Tsuge suture and Ikuta suture were used. On the day 0, 3, 7, 14, 21, 28, 42 after operation, 10 animals were sacrificed and the flexor tendons of both sides were harvested for strength test. The results showed that the initial strength of the repaired tendons and the strength after 6 weeks following tendon cut were far below those of intact tendons, irrespective of suture techniques used. With the 6 techniques, the P(max) of tendons repaired by Tsuge suture was increased continually, reaching the highest value on the 42nd day. The P(max) of tendons sutured by the modified Kessler suture was slightly lower than that by Tsuge suture, but it was increased steadily in healing. The tendons repaired by figure-of-8 suture yielded the lowest P(max). It was concluded that Tsuge suture and modified Kessler suture were the best techniques for tendon repair.