Biceps autograft patch augmentation may be viable option for rotator cuff repair
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Key takeaways:
- Results showed no tenocyte viability differences between biceps autograft patches and control samples.
- Researchers said further research should address patient-reported outcomes and healing.
WASHINGTON — Results presented at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine Annual Meeting showed that biceps autograft patch augmentation may be a promising option for rotator cuff repair.
“More recently, a biceps graft compression technique has been developed to create a reproducible, easy-to-prepare and insert biceps graft, but it's unknown whether or not this method of compression compromises tenocyte viability,” John M. Tokish, MD, said in his presentation here. “Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine whether or not compressing the graft led to tenocyte damage in the setting of this procedure.”
Tokish and colleagues longitudinally split 13 mm of biceps tendon into two equal lengths and sent one sample to pathology with no preparation. The other sample was prepared as a biceps autograft patch using an autograft compression plate prior to being sent to pathology.
“Both samples were sent to pathology, where we asked them to evaluate for tenocyte viability,” Tokish said. “Discussion with our pathologist confirmed that gross examination under [hematoxylin and eosin] H&E stain would be appropriate to assess for acute tenocyte morbidity and mortality.”
Among 110 samples from 55 consecutive patients who underwent biceps tenodesis for rotator cuff repair, Tokish said 42 of the 55 cases had no evidence of tenocyte damage in both the compressed and noncompressed samples. He also noted that seven cases had evidence of necrosis in both the compressed and noncompressed samples.
Meanwhile, four cases in the compressed group and two cases in the noncompressed group had more tenocyte damage, but these cases were not statistically significant, according to Tokish.
“Biceps autograft appears to be a locally available, cost-effective option for rotator cuff augmentation, and the compression of the autograft can result in reproducible and robust graft sources for insertion that does not compromise tenocyte viability,” Tokish said. “Further study is warranted to determine if this augmentation technique results in improved healing rates and patient-reported outcomes.”
Collapse
Tokish JM, et al. Paper 50. Presented at: American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine Annual Meeting; July 12-16, 2023; Washington, D.C.
Read more about
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts