Abstract: Objective To investigate the biomechanical properties and preliminary application of a new suture method, modification of Tang's method, for flexor tendon repair. Methods Thirty-six fresh porcine flexor tendons were divided and repaired with either the modified Tang or the original Tang method. The tendons were subjected to linear or 90 ° angular loading in an Instron tensile testing machine. 2 mm gap formation force and ultimate strength were recorded. M-Tang method was performed in repairing 96 human flexor tendons in zone Ⅱ, and protected passive and active motion protocol were used in eash case after the operation. Strickland TAM classification was applied to evaluate the function postopertively. Results Under linear tension mode, M-Tang was similar to Tang method with its 2 mm gap formation force at (46.2 ±5.2) N, ultimate strength at (61.9 ±6.0) N; Under angular tension mode, M-Tang was similar to Tang with its 2 mm gap formation force at (35.9±3.6) N, but superior to Tang with its ultimate strength at (57.0±4.5) N. No tendon rupture was observed in any of the repaired fingers. Strickland TAM classification showed excellent in 78 cases, good in 10 cases, fair in 8 cases, and the total good rate was 91.6%. Conclusion M-Tang method maintained the biomechanical characters of the original Tang method which can fulfill the requirements for early motion protocol. With fewer suture and knots and easy to operate, M-Tang method was one of the first choice in repairing flexor tendons in zone Ⅱ.

Key words: Tang technique, Modified Tang method, Biomechanics, Tendon repair