All You Need To Know About Different Types of Suture Anchor And Its Complications
Suture Anchors are the one that helps in connecting the soft tissues like tendons, ligaments, and meniscus. These are some of the essential sports medicine and even arthroscopic surgery. These anchors are effective and efficient in fixing the sift ligaments to the bone and both in the surgeries around the shoulder, elbow, wrist, and even in lower limb joints. The primary task of the Suture Anchor is to attach the tissues to the proper site and to maintain the position without any further loosening. Also, maintaining them until physiological healing is one of the major functions as well. A perfect suture anchor is ideal and easy to handle and gives pull-out strength as well until it dissolves. With the suggestions coming about suture anchors, there have been variant types developed and designed to improve the effectiveness to get a firm tendon-to-bone repair. Listed out are the types of suture anchors:
Metallic Suture Anchor:
The first
developed suture anchor is the metallic ones which were non-absorbable. It is
made with a combination of metals or alone. Mostly, metal anchors are made from
titanium and stainless steel. As titanium is stronger enough, it is
predominantly used for orthopedic applications. Also, it can be combined with
iron or aluminum. Stainless steel is more resistant to corrosion than regular
ones and is way better stronger than pure iron. It is because stainless steel
is an alloy of carbon, iron, and chromium. Even though metallic suture is
effective and fixes the bones with the tendons stronger, it has some
disadvantages. The loosening of the shoulder, incarceration of the metal
anchors with the cavity, etc are the flaws.
Biodegradable Suture Anchors:
These are
the anchors developed recently to overcome the complications of metallic suture
anchors and Peek Anchor. When compared with the metallic anchors, biodegradable ones improved
the biocompatibility and provided better post-surgical imaging. The materials
used in creating these anchors are natural, synthetic, or biosynthetic
polymers. Polyglycolic acid (PGA) is the first degradable polymer used to
create suture anchors. But, these anchors were also associated with some
challenges and started getting degradation because of the release of glycolic
acid. It is even harmful causing inflammatory changes in the bones with sinusitis, and bursitis. Also, it had challenges like breakage of the anchors
during implantation, fixation loss in the initial stage, and the incomplete
burial of the anchors within the bone.
All-soft Suture Anchors:
The
All-soft suture anchors or the ASA are developed for minimizing the
complexities of the other anchors during the implantation. The solid type
anchors like polymer and metallic ones had greater complications. ASA or the
All-Soft Suture Anchors has ultra high molecular weight polyethylene. The
fixation differs from that of the usual screw-type suture anchors where here it
is woven and the sleeve is cinched up to compress the overlaying cortical bone.
It allows more bone preservation. Even if the anchor failure occurs, it
minimizes the joint damage.
Bio composite Suture Anchors:
These
anchors are composed of both biodegradable polymer material and bio ceramic
material. Beta Tri-calcium phosphate is the most commonly used bio ceramic material that helps to fill the bone defects as it has a similar content that
of the bone. It has excellent compatibility. Hydroxyapatite is a natural mineral
substance that is similar to that of the components in teeth and bones. Poly
Lactic-go-glycolide is the bio composite material developed to promote
absorption. The osteoconductivity gets improved in the implant site with the
homogeneously developed Beta-Tri-calcium phosphate.
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