The imaging features of tape suture: a contemporary surgical material

To offer an adjunctive imaging tool to MRI for evaluating tape suture related rotator cuff repairs.

A two-part pilot study was performed to assess visibility of tape suture following imaging with various modalities. Institutional research ethics board approval was obtained prior to cadaveric studies. Two tape sutures, FiberTape® and TigerTape®, were evaluated in each experiment. The first experiment assessed the tape suture’s presence in a gelatin mold following exposure to X-ray, ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) without contrast. The second experiment assessed tape suture’s visibility in a cadaveric shoulder model following a standard of care, double-row, transosseous equivalent rotator cuff repair. The same imaging protocols and equipment were used for each part of the study with the addition of MR arthrography–tailored images on the cadaveric specimen. All images were assessed by a musculoskeletal trained radiologist.

The gelatin study demonstrated that the tape suture was visible via ultrasound only. X ray, CT, and MRI did not show tape suture material. In the ultrasound component of the cadaveric study, distinct echogenic textural detail of the tape suture was easily identified, compatible with the simulated rotator cuff repair. X ray and unenhanced CT did not show the tape suture material or the rotator cuff. MRI without intraarticular gadolinium contrast did not adequately image the suture tape; however, faint artifact in the repair region was visualized. MRI with intra-articular contrast did not show the tape suture material in detail; however, the intraarticular gadolinium did provide an advantageous background of high T1 signal that contrasted with the cuff/suture construct.

Ultrasound proved to be an effective imaging modality to visualize tape suture in both the gelatin and cadaveric parts of the pilot study. Ultrasound may be a useful tool to evaluate post-operative tape suture–related repairs in patients that cannot obtain MRIs or when the MRI findings are equivocal.