Innovator

Mr Tennent is actively involved in the search for new and improved techniques in orthopaedic surgery, particularly in the field of arthroscopy.

Tightrope
In 2004 he developed a new technique for arthroscopic stabilisation of acute acromioclavicular joint (ACJ) dislocations. This was awarded a patent in 2007 and the procedure has now been performed over 10,00 times worldwide.

Multiple articles about the technique have been published in scientific journals.

Surgical equipment

PASTA guide
Partial Articular Supraspinatus Tendon Avulsions (PASTA Lesions) can be difficult to treat.
This simple device helps the surgeon to identify the correct location for the suture anchor and hold the position whilst inserting it.

Latarjet probe
The Latarjet procedure for rebuilding the front of the glenoid in shoulder dislocation can be technically difficult and it can be hard to measure the length of the screws required. This device helps the surgeon to measure the glenoid by passing the measure across the face of the bone and flipping the end to hold it in place.

He has also developed a number of new surgical techniques which have been published in the peer reviewed scientific literature.

Sternoclavicular joint
Thomas D. Tennent, Eyiyemi O. Pearse, Deborah M. Eastwood,
A New Technique For Stabilising Adolescent Posteriorly displaced Medial Physeal Clavicular Fractures
Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, Volume 21, Issue 12, December 2012, Pages 1734-1739,

Adolescent posteriorly displaced physeal injuries of the medial clavicle are uncommon. Up to 50% of conservatively treated patients remain symptomatic, and late surgery is hazardous. Stability is rarely achieved with closed or open reduction alone, and internal fixation is usually required. Previously described options for fixation achieve stability of the medial clavicle by securing it to the intact epiphysis. Because the epiphyseal fragment is small, fixation is achieved using sutures or wires. This relies on the size and structural integrity of the medial fragment, which in our experience can be variable. We hypothesized that a novel technique of operative stabilization of these injuries, which does not require fixation to the epiphyseal fragment and uses no metalwork, is safe and effective in treating these injuries.

Materials and methods
The operative technique involves suturing the medial clavicle to the anterior platysmal and periosteal layer using absorbable sutures passed through drill holes in the medial clavicle. Patients were assessed clinically an average of 9 months after surgery.
Results
We treated 7 patients with this method. There were no intraoperative complications. All patients were pain-free and symptom-free and had a full range of movement at follow-up. All patients had returned to their preinjury level of sports.
Conclusions
We recommend this technique for treating these uncommon injuries. It is simple, safe, and reproducible and it produces good results.

Posterior stabilisation
Duncan Tennent, F.R.C.S.(Orth),* Chiara Concina, M.D., and Eyiyemi Pearse, F.R.C.S.(Orth)
Arthroscopic Posterior Stabilization of the Shoulder Using a Percutaneous Knotless Mattress Suture Technique
Arthrosc Tech. Feb 2014; 3(1): e161–e164.

Posterior shoulder instability is far less common than anterior instability, and its arthroscopic treatment can be technically demanding. We describe a percutaneous arthroscopic technique for posterior shoulder stabilization using mattress sutures and knotless anchors. Spinal needles are used to pass the sutures percutaneously in a mattress fashion. Knotless anchors are used to secure the sutures under the labrum. These anchors can be used without cannulas, giving easier access to the posterior glenoid. This procedure is simple, cost-effective, and safe, avoiding the presence of both knots and suture strands in contact with the humeral head.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3986505/

Conjoint Tendon Transfer
Duncan Tennent, Henry B. Colaço, Magnus Arnander, Eyiyemi Pearse
Arthroscopic Conjoint Tendon Transfer: A Technique for Revision Anterior Shoulder Stabilization
Arthroscopy Techniques, Vol. 5, Issue 1, e201–e205