Resorbable Suture Anchor Expedites Arthroscopic Surgery

A suture anchor made of advanced biocomposite materials helps to promote bone formation by increasing the levels of local growth factors.

The HEALICOIL Regenesorb suture anchor is designed with a reduced volume, open architecture configuration that eliminates material between the anchor threads, allowing blood and bone marrow from surrounding cancellous bone to enter the implant postimplantation. The reduced volume of material does not compromise the torsional strength, fixation, or pullout strength of the anchor. An added advantage is that lesser implant material is present at the site of reconstruction, allowing for an easier revision process if necessary.


Preclinical testing has demonstrated that the anchor design allows new bone to fill the spaces between the threads and within the central channel by 12-weeks after implantation. In addition, the extended, fully threaded anchor design provides more threaded engagement, delivering total greater pullout strength in poor-quality, osteoporotic bone. Moreover, the proprietary inserter engages nearly 100% of the anchor's length, which minimizes stress and provides predictable insertion into hard bone by distributing torque along the entire length of the anchor.

The HEALICOIL suture anchor is engineered to hold fixation throughout the healing period, even in suboptimal quality bone, and is able to withstand normal shoulder loading forces and typical range of motion experienced during physical therapy or rehabilitation. The biocomposite material blend takes advantage not only of the osteoconductive properties of beta tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP), but also a second osteoconductive component, calcium sulfate, that comes into play early in the bone healing process and helps to increase the levels of local growth factors. The HEALICOIL Regenesorb suture anchor is a product of Smith & Nephew (London, United Kingdom).

“The HEALICOIL Regenesorb suture anchor is a perfect marriage of implant design and material,” said orthopedic surgeon Scott Trenhaile, MD, of the University of Illinois College of Medicine (Rockford, USA). “Within this one implant, I get the bone in-growth and mechanical strengths of the original HEALICOIL, as well as the bioabsorption advantages that come from gradually transferring the stresses to the healing bone as the anchor is steadily absorbed.”

Related Links:
Smith & Nephew