Introduction: Cerclage wires are a versatile tool utilized in the stabilization of various orthopaedic
procedures. The pin and tension band historically has utilized a twist cerclage (TC)
wire. The tension strength of TC has been previously evaluated with a simulated tibia
gap model; however, loop cerclage (LC) has not been investigated. The goal of this
study is to compare the tension strength of LC and TC. Our null hypothesis is there
will be no difference between the tension produced by the LC and TC constructs in
a simulated canine tibia gap model.
Materials and Methods: Fifty test specimens divided into two groups, 25 TC and 25 LC, were constructed with
a figure eight wire pattern on a 3D printed normal canine tibia gap model. Tension
was measured and recorded at each ½ twist until construct failure with peak tension
recorded. Data was analysed using a Mann–Whitney U test for nonparametric samples
with a p-value at ≤ 0.05, with mean and standard deviation reported.
Results: The mean (±SD) peak tension for the TC and LC groups were 171.58 N (±21.58 N) and
323.64 N (±34.45 N), respectively. The peak tension for the LC group was significantly
greater relative to the TC group, p < 0.001.
Discussion/Conclusion: The LC constructs were applied with a greater amount of tension prior to failure
in comparison to the TC constructs. We rejected our null hypothesis that there would
be no difference between the tension produced by the LC and TC constructs in this
canine tibia gap model.
Acknowledgment
The implants were provided by DePuy Synthes a Johnson and Johnson MedTech LLC company.
