Biomechanical evaluation of a knotless barbed suture repair in a human Achilles tendon rupture model.

Background: Knotless barbed sutures are seeing more common use in wound closures and small tendon repairs. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the strength and resistance to gap formation of these sutures in larger tendons, such as the Achilles, compared with conventional repair.

Methods: Six matched pairs of fresh-frozen human cadaver Achilles tendons were transected to simulate a rupture.