Abstract
The authors have treated soft tissue injuries at the insertion to bone using bone anchor since 2001. In the present study, 10 patients (6 men, 4 women) underwent surgery (age range, 17-74 years; mean, 45.4 years), and of these, 4 patients had rupture of the lateral ligament of ankle, 3 patients had rupture of the ulnar collateral ligament of the metacarpophalangeal joint of thumb, 2 patients had fracture of the greater tuberosity of humerus, and 1 patient had rupture of patellar tendon. The follow-up periods were between 4 and 18 months (mean, 12.2 months). All cases except the fractures of the greater tuberosity of humerus resulted in good fixation on stress radiographs. Surgery was repeated in 1 case of fracture of the greater tuberosity of humerus due to displacement of the bone anchor 2 weeks after the initial procedure. In another case, additional cancellous screw fixation was required because the bone anchor had insufficient strength. In general, bone anchors are less invasive, suitable for use in a small field and in intra-articular surgery. They can also shorten the duration of surgery. However, because the bone anchor did not have sufficient strength in 2 patients with fracture of the greater tuberosity of humerus, caution should be exercised before using bone anchors in such cases.
