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Purpose: To investigate the biomechanical influence of differential loading of suture strands (torque) on the fixation strength of knotted and knotless all-suture anchors. Methods: The biomechanical strength of 48 all-suture anchors was evaluated for 4 conditions in polyurethane foam blocks: (1) 12 knotted all-suture anchors loaded proportionately, (2) 12 knotted all-suture anchors with 1 suture strand bearing 50% of total force (partial torque), (3) 12 knotted all-suture anchors with 1 strand fixated and the other loaded (full torque), and (4) 12 knotless all-suture anchors with the loop kept open via a fixed rod. Force for 1 mm and 2 mm of displacement and ultimate failure load were assessed. Results: For 1 mm of displacement, groups 2, 3, and 4 showed significantly lower forces than group 1 (all P < .001), with no statistically significant difference between groups 2 and 3 (P = .516); for 2 mm of displacement, all groups showed significantly lower forces than group 1 (P < .001), which positively correlated with applied torque. No differences in the mean ultimate loads observed between testing groups 1, 2, and 4 were noted, with 93.3 ± 3.8 N, 91.4 ± 4.7 N, and 92.6 ± 5.6 N, respectively; however, group 3 exhibited a significantly lower mean ultimate load (62.3 ± 1.7 N) than all other groups (P < .001). Conclusions: The ultimate failure load of knotted and knotless all-suture anchor fixation was partially affected by loading differentials between strands in this validated foam block model. Differential loading of knotted all-suture anchor fixation presented greater initial displacement when compared with symmetrically loaded knotted all-suture anchors. Despite an initial increase in displacement, knotless all-suture anchors showed similar ultimate failure loads to knotted all-suture anchors with strands loaded equally. Clinical Relevance: The role of suture strand loading imbalance on anchor fixation is variable and should be considered during placement and fixation of the repair constructs in a clinical setting.

Irreparable supraspinatus tendon tears are challenging to treat, especially in a young and high-demanding patient population. Whereas interposition tendon grafting and partial repair are limited by the quality of the remaining rotator cuff tendons and muscles, superior capsular reconstruction and subacromial spacers do not provide the active biomechanical principle of a contracting supraspinatus. The purpose of this technical note is to introduce an arthroscopic middle trapezius transfer below the acromion to replace the former supraspinatus unit. This technique might combine the benefits of both the static concepts seen with subacromial spacers or superior capsular reconstruction and dynamic concepts such as interposition grafting and partial repairs.

Surgical management for biceps pathologies has advanced to provide stronger fixation and to be less invasive. The long head of the biceps tendon has been recognized as a common contributor to anterior shoulder pain and is often associated with other glenohumeral pathologies such as SLAP lesions, rotator cuff tears, and subacromial impingement. Both tenotomy and tenodesis have shown to be effective in ameliorating pain associated with the long head of the biceps tendon. However, decreased muscle function and cosmetic concerns are seen at higher rates after tenotomy compared with tenodesis. One option for the treatment of biceps tendon pathology includes mini-open subpectoral biceps tenodesis. Lower reoperation rates are observed after subpectoral biceps tenodesis than after suprapectoral biceps tenodesis, with thoughts that releasing the tendon from its sheath and the bicipital groove relieves the patient of most associated pain. The purpose of this Technical Note is to describe in detail our preferred operative technique for mini-open subpectoral biceps tenodesis using an onlay technique with all-suture anchor fixation.

Posterior shoulder dislocations often are associated with an impression fracture involving the anterior humeral head known as a reverse Hill–Sachs lesion. These injuries can result in significant bone defects that require surgical management to prevent them from engaging the posterior glenoid. We present a modified arthroscopic, knotless McLaughlin procedure (tenodesis of the subscapularis tendon into the bone defect) for the treatment of small-to medium-sized, engaging Hill–Sachs lesions. The knotless fashion aims to eliminate potential problems associated with knot tying, such as knot migration, knot impingement, and chondral abrasion.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to use a novel scoring system to evaluate the content and grade the quality of websites that patients may use to learn about rotator cuff repair. Methods: Two search terms (“rotator cuff repair” and “rotator cuff surgery”) were entered into 3 Internet search engines (Google, Yahoo, and Bing). We scored the quality of information using a novel scoring system. Website quality was further assessed by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmark criteria and Health on the Net Foundation (HON) code certification. The readability of the websites was evaluated with the Flesch-Kincaid score. Results: We evaluated 47 websites. The average quality for all websites was 6.47 ± 5.21 (maximum 20 points). There was a large difference in scores between the top 5 websites and the remaining websites (16.30 vs 5.51, P < .001). There was no difference in scores when comparing the 3 different search engines (P = .85). The mean reading level was 10.17 ± 2.24. Reading level was not significantly correlated with quality (rs = 0.14, P = .36). The average JAMA benchmark criteria score for all websites was 2.34 ± 1.11 (maximum 4 points). JAMA criteria score was not significantly correlated with quality (rs = 0.02, P = .91). Sites without HONcode certification had higher quality scores (8.33 ± 4.80) than sites with HONcode certification (6.18 ± 4.66), but this difference was not statistically significant (P = .15). Conclusion: The quality of patient-level information on rotator cuff repair on the Internet is both incomplete and written at a reading level higher than current recommendations. Information quality is not significantly correlated with reading level or JAMA criteria, and does not depend on the search term used or HONcode certification. Clinical Relevance: Patients having rotator cuff repair may seek information on the Internet; the information may require surgeon clarification.

Arthroscopic repair of SLAP tears is a common shoulder procedure, especially in overhead athletes. Repair techniques have evolved over the last 20 years, and the optimal technique remains elusive. In many cases, a transrotator cuff portal placed lateral to the acromion is used to access the superior glenoid. However, violating the rotator cuff is not desirable in an overhead athlete, and this approach can be associated with an increased risk of postoperative morbidity. The purpose of this Technical Note is to describe our preferred surgical technique with a rotator cuff–sparing approach for arthroscopic SLAP repair with all-suture anchors.

Surgical management for glenohumeral instability has advanced to provide stronger fixation and to be less invasive. Arthroscopic suture anchor repair has been the gold standard for isolated capsulolabral tears over the years. Despite the ability of the solid suture anchors to handle physiologic load, they can present challenges such as chondral damage due to anchor size and imperfect angulation, osteolysis, anchor breakage, revision drilling, difficulty of revision surgery with accompanied bone loss, and compromised postoperative magnetic resonance imaging quality. Recently, knotless all-suture anchors have been introduced as a technique to overcome these challenges. These anchors lack a rigid component and can be placed in a tunnel of smaller diameter, thereby allowing for maintenance of glenoid bone stock. The purpose of this Technical Note is to describe our preferred surgical technique with a minimally invasive approach for the fixation of capsulolabral tears using a knotless all-suture anchor construct.