Flexor tendon repair: significant gain in strength from the Halsted peripheral suture technique.

A biomechanical study in vitro has evaluated a new modification of the core and peripheral suture technique for flexor tendon repair. Groups of repairs were conducted in cadaver tendons, using a core suture alone, a core suture with a simple running surface suture and a new modification involving a 'Halsted' horizontal mattress technique for the peripheral stitch. The Halsted modification increased the load at which a visible gap formed by 93%, the load at which a 2 mm gap formed by 77%, and the maximum strength by 89%. This increase was due to the technique; it did not depend on the suture material used. The bulk of the tendon repair was not significantly greater with the Halsted modification.