Italian research on anterior cruciate ligament: a bibliometric analysis.

INTRODUCTION: This study analysed the trend of publications on anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in Italy. It was hypothesised that publications on this topic have quickly increased in recent years due to increased knowledge of both clinical and radiological pathology. METHODS: PubMed and Scopus were accessed on 29/11/2023. This retrieved 838 articles from PubMed and 1050 from Scopus. We analysed the top 10 authors, and journals in publication numbers, citation numbers, and citations per year. We have also looked at the top 10 institutions publishing on anterior cruciate ligament from Scopus as PubMed does not give this information in the output. Data mining was performed using the Orange software, Mac version 3.32.0 ( https://orangedatamining.com/ ) from the titles of all articles. A word cloud analysis of titles, authors, journals and universities was performed. RESULTS: The peak of citations was in 2017 with 1529, whilst the peak of publications was in 2019 with 59 articles published. Analysing the number of publications and citations for the journal, the most impacted journal is Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy with 5472 citations and 183 articles, followed by The American Journal of Sports Medicine, with 2722 citations and 56 articles and Arthroscopy with 1990 citations and 62 articles. Considering also international collaborations, the most cited author is Della Villa F. in 2020 with 43.67 citations per year. The Italian author with the major number of publications is Zaffagnini S. with 39 articles, whilst the author with the higher number of citations is Aglietti P. with 1612 citations. CONCLUSIONS: ACL reconstruction has gained growing interest amongst the scientific community. Publications and citations presented a rising trend, the majority of the highly cited papers were contributed by few centres, and clinical trials were the most cited study designs. The long-term outcomes of ACL lesions have attracted interest. The authors hypothesised that shortly there will be an increase in articles analysing the results of ACL revisions, the use of lateral extra-articular tenodesis, and meniscus transplants. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV: Cross-Sectional Study.

High incidence of RAMP lesions and a nonnegligible incidence of anterolateral ligament and posterior oblique ligament rupture in acute ACL injury.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the frequency of medial collateral ligament (MCL), posterior oblique ligament (POL) and anterolateral ligament (ALL) tears and different types of RAMP lesions of patients with verified acute anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). METHODS: MRI was performed on patients with a clinical diagnosis of acute ACL injury. Patients were eligible for inclusion if they had an initially clinically noted ACL tear confirmed on MRI within 30 days of trauma. RESULTS: A total of 146 patients were included in the study, 42 (28.8%) females and 104 (71.2%) males. The mean age at MRI was 27.2 ± 9.4 years, and the mean time from injury to MRI was 15.7 ± 7.8 days. Thirty-four (23.3%) patients had a complete MCL lesion, 32 (21.9%) had a complete POL lesion and 28 (19.2%) had a complete ALL lesion. One hundred and fourteen patients (78.1%) presented with RAMP lesions, while 20 (13.7%) patients reported other meniscal lesions. The mean medial and lateral tibial slopes were 4.0° ± 2.7° and 4.0° ± 3.1°, respectively. Only 10 (6.8%) patients reported no lesions associated with ACL rupture. The most common injuries were isolated RAMP type 3 (18-12.3%) and isolated RAMP type 1 (17-11.6%). Thirteen (8.9%) patients had a combination of MCL, POL and ALL rupture. CONCLUSIONS: Isolated lesions of the ACL are extremely rare. In most cases, a single RAMP lesion should be investigated. In the presence of MCL injury, POL injury should always be suspected as well, while nearly 20% of patients present a rupture of the ALL. About one in 10 patients had three lesions (MCL, ALL and POL), and most of them had a combined RAMP lesion. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV.

Learning curve of Persona Partial Knee (PPK) arthroplasty: a clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) procedures are considered to be more technically demanding than conventional total knee arthroplasty (TKA), requiring a longer learning curve and more expert surgical skills. Despite some clear advantages of UKA over TKA (such as lesser blood loss, greater bone stock, greater knee performances, etc.), UKA evidenced a greater rate of revision. OBJECT: This study investigated the learning curve of Persona Partial Knee (PPK) arthroplasty for primary medial UKA performed by a single, non-designer surgeon. PPK is a fixed-bearing, compartment-specific implant. The primary outcome of interest for this study was to evaluate the learning curve of the surgical duration. The secondary outcome of interest was to evaluate the learning curve of radiological implant positioning. METHODS: Patients who underwent primary medial UKA using PPK (Zimmer-Biomet, Warsaw IN, USA) were prospectively enrolled for the study. All surgeries were performed by a single, non-designer surgeon experienced in knee and hip arthroplasty. The primary outcome of interest was to evaluate the surgical duration. The secondary outcome of interest was to evaluate the implant positioning. The learning curve was estimated using an appropriate nonlinear polynomial regression model with a lower Akaike Information Criterion (AIC). RESULTS: One hundred twenty five patients were enrolled in the study. 59% of them (74 of 125 patients) were women. The patients' mean age at the time of surgery was 70.1 ± 9.5 years and their mean body mass index (BMI) was 27.8 ± 4.2 kg/m2. Curve stabilisation of the surgical time was at the 94th patient, of the tibial angle at the 47th patient, of the tibial slope at the 54th patient, of the anterior protrusion at the 29th patient, and of the posterior protrusion at the 51st patient. CONCLUSIONS: The learning curve for component positioning was achieved in approximately 50 cases. The curve of the surgical time achieved a plateau at 94 Persona Partial Knee. Additionally, the factors directly correlated with earlier stabilization of the learning curve in terms of component positioning were: male gender, younger age, right side, and larger components.

Hand grip strength as a proposed new vital sign of health: a narrative review of evidences.

Hand grip strength (HGS) serves as a fundamental metric in assessing muscle function and overall physical capability and is particularly relevant to the ageing population. HGS holds an important connection to the concept of sarcopenia, which encompasses the age-related decline in muscle mass, strength, and function. It has also been reported to indicate the health of an individual. We reviewed the interplay between HGS and various health parameters, including morbidity and mortality, by carrying out a literature search on PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar between 10 and 30 August 2023, to identify the relevant papers on the relationship between health and HGS. We used several keywords like 'hand grip strength', 'muscle strength, 'sarcopenia', 'osteosarcopenia', 'health biomarker', 'osteoporosis', and 'frailty', to derive the appropriate literature for this review. This review has shown that the HGS can be measured reliably with a hand-held dynamometer. The cut-off values are different in various populations. It is lower in Asians, women, less educated and privileged, and those involved in sedentary work. Several diseases have shown a correlation with low HGS, e.g., Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, chronic kidney and liver disease, some cancers, sarcopenia and fragility fractures. The low HSG is also associated with increased hospitalization, nutritional status, overall mortality and quality of life. We believe that there is adequate evidence to show that HGS stands as an important biomarker of health. Its utility extends to the identification of diverse health issues and its potential as a new vital sign throughout the lifespan.

Change in patellar height in medial and lateral unicompartmental knee arthroplasty: a clinical trial.

INTRODUCTION: Evidence on patellar height changes following unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) is lacking. Therefore, this study compared the patella height in patients who underwent medial versus lateral UKA. Moreover, a subgroup analysis was conducted to investigate whether sex, age, and BMI of the patients exert an influence on the postoperative patellar height. METHODS: Radiographs and hospital records of patients undergoing UKA were prospectively collected. Surgeries were performed by one author with long experience in UKA in a highly standardised fashion. The implants were fixed-bearing medial PPK (Zimmer Biomet, Warsaw, Indiana, USA) and fixed-bearing lateral ZUK (Lima Corporate, Udine, Italy). The patellar height was measured using the Insall-Salvati and Caton-Deschamps indices. RESULTS: A total of 203 patients were included: 119 patients were included in the medial and 84 in the lateral UKA. The mean age of the patients was 68.9 ± 6.7 years, and the mean BMI was 28.1 ± 4.1 kg/m2. 54% (110 of 203 patients) were women. On admission, between-group comparability was found in age, BMI, sex, and length of the follow-up. No between-group and within-group difference was detected pre- and post-operatively in the Insall-Salvati and Caton-Deschamps indices in patients who have undergone medial versus lateral UKA. Concerning the subgroup analyses, no between-group and within-group difference was detected pre- and post-operatively in all comparisons according to sex, age, and BMI. CONCLUSION: No difference was found in patella height in patients who have undergone medial compared to lateral UKA. Furthermore, there was no evidence of an association between patient characteristics (sex, age, BMI) and patella height between medial and lateral UKA.

How Do Older Patients with End-Stage Osteoarthritis of the Hip Eat Prior to Hip Replacement? A Preliminary Snapshot That Highlights a Poor Diet.

Diet quantity and quality in older adults is critical for the proper functioning of the musculoskeletal system. In view of hip surgery, old patients should consume 1.2-1.5 g of proteins and 27-30 kcal per kilo of body weight daily, and adhere to healthy eating habits. In this analytical study, we studied diet quantity and quality in relation to the clinical chemistry and functional status of 57 older adults undergoing elective hip replacement. Nine in ten patients did not meet suggested protein and energy intakes and only one in ten patients exhibited high adherence to the Mediterranean diet. Legume consumption adjusted for sex, age, body mass index, and health status successfully forecasted haemoglobin levels (p < 0.05), and patients regularly consuming olive oil reported minor hip disability compared to those using it less frequently (p < 0.05). Patients who reported daily ingestion of <1 serving of meat versus those consuming >1.5 servings had greater cumulative comorbidity (p < 0.05), with meat consumption independently predicting walking ability, mobility, and balance in the fully adjusted model (p < 0.01). In conclusion, our patients seem to eat poorly. There is room for improvement in pre-operative pathways to make older adults eat better, but there is a need to plan an interventional study to fully understand the cause-effect of a dietary pattern or specific food in enhancing recovery after surgery.

No difference in Oxford Knee Score between medial and lateral unicompartmental knee arthroplasty after two years of follow-up: a clinical trial.

PURPOSE: In patients with monocompartmental knee osteoarthritis, unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) can be performed. This study compared the medial versus lateral UKA in patients with monocompartimental knee arthroplasty. It was hypothesised that both implants achieve a similar outcome in OKS. METHODS: The UKAs were fixed-bearing medial PPK (Zimmer-Biomet, Warsaw, Indiana, USA) and fixed-bearing lateral Zuk (Lima Corporate, Udine, Italy). An intraarticular drain was placed and removed on the first postoperative day. Enoxaparin sodium 4000 units subcutaneously daily for 45 days was used as thromboembolic prophylaxis. The Italian version of the OKS was used for the clinical assessment. The following complications were also recorded: anterior knee pain, infection and revision surgeries. RESULTS: Data from 203 patients were collected. The mean age of the patients was 68.9 ± 6.7 years and the mean BMI was 28.1 ± 4.1 kg/m2. The mean OKS on admission was 22.1 ± 4.5 points. On admission, women, patients older than 70 years, and those with a BMI lower than 28 kg/m2 who underwent lateral UKA evidenced lower OKS. At the last follow-up, 26.7 and 26.9 months for the lateral and medial UKA, respectively, no between groups difference in OKS was evidenced. No patients experienced complications. CONCLUSION: Medial and lateral UKA achieve similar outcomes in OKS at a minimum of two years of follow-up.

Magnetic resonance imaging shows low sensitivity but good specificity in detecting ramp lesions in children and adolescents with ACL injury: A systematic review.

IMPORTANCE: The diagnosis of ramp lesions can be problematic, even with arthroscopy, due to their extreme posteromedial position. Consequently, they have been colloquially referred to as the "hidden lesions" of the knee. Undiagnosed and untreated injuries in this knee region may be associated with ongoing dynamic rotational laxity of the knee after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and an increased risk of anterior cruciate ligament graft failure. AIM: This study aimed to systematically review the literature to assess the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for detecting ramp lesions in children and adolescents with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)-deficient knees. It was hypothesized that MRI has poor sensitivity for identifying ramp lesions in children and adolescents. EVIDENCE REVIEW: A systematic review was conducted based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The following search terms were used in the title, abstract and keywords fields: "ramp" or "meniscus" AND "children" or "adolescents." The outcome data extracted from the studies were incidence of ramp in concomitant with ACL lesion, MRI sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV). FINDINGS: Of the 387 patients with ACL injury, 90 were reported to have ramp lesions (23.3%). The mean age at the time of diagnosis was 15.3 â€‹± â€‹0.81 years. The mean time from injury to MRI was 116.1 â€‹± â€‹113.5 days, while the mean time from injury to surgery was 172.6 â€‹± â€‹139.1 days. The MRI taken to detect ramp lesions in the paediatric population showed a pooled sensitivity of 50%, specificity of 75%, accuracy of 70%, PPV of 41% and NPV of 79%. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The prevalence of ACL-associated ramp lesions in children and adolescents is similar to that in adult populations. Magnetic resonance imaging has low sensitivity but good specificity for assessing ramp lesions. In the presence of a posteromedial tibial bone bruise or a thin fluid signal separating the posterior horn of the medial meniscus and the posteromedial capsule a ramp lesion should always be suspected. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV. STUDY REGISTRATION: PROSPERO -: CRD42023453895.

Quadrupled Semitendinosus Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Without the Use of Tourniquet and Minimal Instrumentation: The "Double D" Technique.

The hamstring tendons are among the most common autografts used for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Typically, the ipsilateral knee's gracilis and semitendinosus tendons are harvested. More recently, studies have described the use of just 1 of the tendons (the semitendinosus [ST]) in a tripled or quadrupled configuration, particularly in all-inside reconstructions. Instead of using a double gracilis and ST, a quadrupled ST tendon allows for a graft with enough diameter to more closely mimic the natural anterior cruciate ligament while lowering the likelihood of graft rupture. The use of tourniquets has been reported to increase the risk of complications, particularly deep vein thrombosis. This Technical Note describes an anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction performed with a quadrupled ST, without the use of a tourniquet, and with only the reamers and a tibial guide as surgical instrumentation.

Clinical outcomes, complications, and survivorship for unicompartmental knee arthroplasty versus total knee arthroplasty in patients aged 80 years and older with isolated medial knee osteoarthritis: a matched cohort analysis.

PURPOSE: The primary goal of this study is to compare clinical outcomes, complication rate, and survivorship in octogenarians who underwent total knee arthroplasty (TKA) or unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) by performing a matched cohort analysis. METHODS: We analyzed 75 medial UKAs performed by a single experienced surgeon. The included cases were matched with 75 TKAs performed during the same study period. Potential TKA matches used identical exclusion criteria. UKAs were age-, gender-, and body mass index (BMI)-matched at the rate of 1 UKA to 1 TKA from our departmental database. Clinical evaluation included the visual analog scale for pain, range of motion (ROM-flexion and extension), Knee Society Score (KSS), and Oxford Knee Score (OKS). Each patient was clinically evaluated on the day before the surgery (T0) and at two follow-ups at least 12 months (T1) and 24 months (T2) after the surgery. For the survivorship, revision was defined as failure of the implant (periprosthetic joint infection, periprosthetic fracture, or aseptic loosening), and survival was based on implant revision or patient death. Undesirable clinical developments that were not present at baseline or that increased in severity after treatment were classified as adverse events. RESULTS: The mean age at the time of the surgery was 82.1 ± 1.9 years for UKA and 81.5 ± 1.8 years for TKA (p = 0.06). The two groups differed in regard to surgical time (UKA 44.9 ± 7.2 min; TKA 54.4 ± 11.3 min; p < 0.001); furthermore, the UKA group showed better function (ROM; flexion and extension) than the TKA group at each follow-up time point (p < 0.05). Both groups reported a significant improvement in all clinical scores (KSS and OKS) when compared with their preoperative status (p < 0.05), while no differences were found between the groups at each follow-up (p > 0.05). The UKA group reported 7 (9.3%) failures, while TKA reported 6 failures. There were no survival differences between the groups (T1: p = 0.2; T2: p = 0.5). Overall complication rate was 6% in the UKA group versus 9.75% in TKA (p = 0.2). CONCLUSION: The UKA and TKA patients had similar clinical outcomes, post-operative range of motion, and survivorship in octogenarians with medial knee osteoarthritis, with comparable complication rate. Both the surgical procedures may be considered in this patient population, but further long-term follow-up is needed. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III.

No difference in mobile and fixed bearing partial knee arthroplasty in octogenarians: a clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: A clinical trial comparing MB (mobile-bearing) versus FB (fixed-bearing) in medial partial knee arthroplasty (PKA) in octagenarians has been conducted. The focus of the present study was on PROMs, range of motion (ROM), implant positioning and implants survivorship. The hypothesis of the present study was that MB implants performed better than FB in PKA in octogenarians. METHODS: The first group received FB PKA-PPK®; the second received MB PKA-Oxford. Patients were not randomly allocated. The following PROMs were administered at T0 (pre-operatively), T1 (1 year after surgery), and T2 (3 years after surgery): visual analogue scale (VAS), Knee Society Score (KSS) and Oxford Knee Score (OKS). Data regarding the implant survivorship and ROM were also collected. Furthermore, the following radiographic parameters were measured: Femoral component varus/valgus; Tibial component varus/valgus; Anteroposterior slope. RESULTS: At T0, 28 patients were included in the FB and 33 in the MB group. The surgical time was shorter in the FB group (p < 0.001). No difference between FB and MB in ROM, VAS, KSS, and OKS at each follow-up (p > 0.05). No difference was found in implant positioning (p > 0.05). At last follow-up, FB group reported three failures caused by aseptic loosening. Four failures were observed in the MB cohort: two for bearing dislocation and two for aseptic loosening. The Kaplan-Meier Curve found no differences in implant survivorship. CONCLUSIONS: According to the main findings of the present clinical trial, MB implants performed similar to FB in PKA in octogenarians. The FB group demonstrated shorted surgical time. No difference was found in patient reported outcome measures, ROM, implant positioning, and survivorship. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level II, prospective study.

Multiple revision anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: not the best but still good.

PURPOSE: Given the paucity of literature on the re-revision of ACL, the current study was undertaken. The purpose of this systematic review was to synthesise and qualitatively assess the currently available evidence in the literature regarding the re-revision of ACL reconstruction (rrACLR). METHODS: A systematic review was conducted based on the PRISMA guidelines. The following search terms were used in the title, abstract and keywords fields: "ACL" or "anterior cruciate ligament" AND "revision" or "multiple" or "repeat". The outcome data extracted from the studies were the Lysholm score, Subjective IKDC, Marx Score, Tegner, Marx Score, KOOS score, radiological changes and the rate of return to sports. Complications, failures and/or revision surgery were also analysed. RESULTS: The cohort consisted of 295 patients [191 (64.7%) men and 104 (35.3%) women] with a mean age of 29.9 ± 2.8 years (range 14-58 years) from 10 studies. The mean postoperative follow-up (reported in all studies except one) was 66.9 ± 44.7 months (range 13-230.4 months). Associated injuries were 103 (34.9%) medial meniscus tears, 57 (19.3%) lateral meniscus tears, 14 (4.7%) combined medial plus lateral meniscus tears, 11 (3.7%) meniscal tears (not specified), 252 (85.4%) cartilage lesions, 6 (2.0%) medial collateral ligament injury and 2 (0.7%) lateral collateral ligament injuries. In 47 (15.9%) patients an extra-articular plasty was performed for the anterolateral ligament. In all studies that reported pre- and post-operative IKDC (subjective and objective) and Lysholm score, there was a significant improvement compared to the pre-operative value (p < 0.05). At the final follow-up, laxity measured with KT-1000 was found to be 2.2 ± 0.6 mm. 31 (10.5%) out of 295 patients returned to their pre-injury activity level. A total of 19 (6.4%) re-ruptures were found, while only 4 (1.4%) complications (all minors) were reported, out of which 2 (0.7%) were superficial infections, 1 (0.3%) cyclops lesion and 1 (0.3%) flexion loss. CONCLUSION: Multiple revisions of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction allow acceptable clinical results and a good degree of knee stability with a low rate of subsequent new re-ruptures but the possibility of regaining pre-injury sports activity is poor; whenever possible, it is preferred to revise the ligament in one stage. This surgery remains a challenge for orthopaedic surgeons and many doubts persist regarding the ideal grafts, additional extra-articular procedures and techniques to use. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV. STUDY REGISTRATION: PROSPERO-CRD42022352164 ( https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/ ).

Management of the first episode of traumatic patellar dislocation: an international survey.

PURPOSE: This international survey aimed to evaluate the potential controversies regarding the management of first patellar dislocation amongst experienced knee surgeries in the treatment of the first episode of patellar dislocation without osteochondral fragments. METHODS: An online survey was conducted from February 2021 to December 2021 to assess the global trend in the diagnosis and management of first-time patellar dislocation without osteochondral fragments. The online survey was accessible on the homepage of the website of the European Society of Sports Traumatology, Knee Surgery and Arthroscopy (ESSKA). The questionnaire consisted of multiple-choice questions and was divided into three sections. The first section consisted of eight questions regarding demographic information, professional activity, and responder experience. The second section consisted of 13 questions regarding the approach to a first patellar dislocation (clinical examination, imaging, and rehabilitation). The third section contained 2 questions concerning the relevance of patient characteristics to the therapeutic algorithm (age, sports, and pathoanatomical predisposing risk factors). RESULTS: A total of 438 orthopaedic surgeons worldwide completed the questionnaire. At the first approach to diagnose a first-time patellar dislocation, 251 (57%) of the surgeons requested plain radiographs, and 158 (36%) requested magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In conservatively treated patients, 368 (84%) of the respondents recommended the use of a knee brace. Amongst them, 14 (3%) advocated its use for one week, 75 (17%) for two weeks, 123 (28%) for three weeks, 105 (24%) for four weeks, and 97 (22%) for six weeks. In conservatively treated patients, 215 (49%) of the surgeons recommended load to tolerance, 148 (34%) recommended 30% to 60% of the bodyweight, and 75 (17%) advised against weight-bearing. More than half of the surgeons considered a patient aged less than 35 years practising contact sports to be a candidate for the medial patello-femoral ligament (MPFL) procedure. In addition, a tibial tuberosity to trochlear groove distance (TT-TG) distance of 15 to > 20 mm (for > 75% of the surgeons) and a trochlea types C and D (for > 70% of the surgeons) were considered possible indications for direct surgical management. CONCLUSION: At the first approach to diagnose a first-time patellar dislocation, plain radiographs and MRI should be performed. In conservatively treated patients, most of the surgeons recommend weight-bearing to tolerance and a knee brace during the first four weeks, with range of motion of full extension to 30° during the first 15 days and up to 60° for an additional 15 days. Surgical management should be performed in patients in the second and third decades of life practising contact sports and in those patients who present types C and D trochlea dysplasia and patella alta. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

Similar survivorship at the 5-year follow-up comparing robotic-assisted and conventional lateral unicompartmental knee arthroplasty.

PURPOSE: This retrospective study aims to analyse the survivorship and functional outcomes of two samples with similar preoperative clinical and demographic data of lateral unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) performed with robotic and conventional surgery at a minimum 5-year follow-up. METHODS: In this retrospective study, the clinical records of two cohorts for 95 lateral UKA implants were analysed. The first cohort consisted of 43 patients with cemented lateral UKA performed with the conventional procedure (Conventional group). The second cohort consisted of 52 patients who received robot-assisted cemented lateral UKA (Robotic group). Clinical evaluation of the two samples entailed evaluating the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score divided into subscales (symptoms and stiffness, pain, function in daily living, function in sport and recreation and quality of life) for each patient. Revision was defined as the failure of the implant (periprosthetic joint infection, periprosthetic fracture or aseptic loosening), and survival was based on implant revision. RESULTS: The mean follow-up time was 90.3 ± 9.1 months for the Conventional Group and 95.4 ± 11.0 months for the Robotic Group (n.s.). Each patient was clinically evaluated on the day before surgery (T0), at a minimum 1-year follow-up (T1) and at a minimum 5-year follow-up (T2). In both groups, all clinical scores improved between T0 and T1 and between T0 and T2 (p < 0.05); for both groups, no differences were noted in any clinical scores between T1 and T2 (n.s.). No significant differences in any clinical score were found between the two groups at each follow-up (n.s.). Survival analysis reported no differences between the two groups at the final 1-year follow-up, with three failures (2 aseptic loosening and 1 periprosthetic fracture) in the Conventional group and two failures (1 patellofemoral osteoarthritis and 1 inexplicable pain) in the Robotic group (n.s.). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows excellent clinical outcomes and revision rates in robotic arm-assisted and manual techniques for lateral UKA, with no clinical differences at medium- to long-term follow-up. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III-comparative study.

In elite athletes with meniscal injuries, always repair the lateral, think about the medial! A systematic review.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate and compare the time required to return to sports (RTS) after surgery, the rate of revision surgery and the time required for RTS after revision surgery in elite athletes undergoing meniscal repair or partial meniscectomy, particularly analysing the difference between medial and lateral menisci. It was hypothesised that both procedures would entail similar, high rates of RTS, with the lateral meniscus exhibiting higher potential healing postprocedure compared to the medial meniscus. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted based on the PRISMA guidelines. Quality assessment of the systematic review was performed using the AMSTAR-2 checklist. The following search terms were browsed in the title, abstract and keyword fields: 'meniscus' or 'meniscal' AND 'tear,' 'injury' or 'lesion' AND 'professional,' 'elite' or 'high-level' AND 'athletes,' 'sports,' 'sportsman,' 'soccer,' 'basketball,' 'football' or 'handball'. The resulting measures extracted from the studies were the rate of RTS, level of RTS, complications, revision surgery and subsequent RTS, Tegner, International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). RESULTS: In this study, the cohort consisted of 421 patients [415 (98.6%) men and 6 (1.4%) women] with a mean age of 23.0 ± 3.0 years. All patients were elite athletes in wrestling, baseball, soccer, rugby or handball. While 327 (77.7%) patients received partial meniscectomy at a mean age of 23.3 ± 2.6 years, 94 (22.3%) patients received meniscal repair at a mean age of 22.1 ± 4.0 years. After partial meniscectomy, 277 patients (84.7%) returned to their competitive sports activity and 256 (78.3%) returned to their pre-injury activity levels. A total of 12 (3.7%) patients required revision surgery because of persistent pain [5 (1.5%) patients], chondrolysis [2 (0.7%) patients] or both chondrolysis and lateral instability [5 (1.5%) patients]. Ten (83.3%) of the twelve patients had involvement of the lateral meniscus, whereas the location of injury was not specified in the remaining two patients. After revision surgery, all patients (100%) resumed sports activity. However, after meniscal repair, 80 (85.1%) athletes returned to their competitive sports activity and 71 (75.5%) returned to their pre-injury activity levels. A total of 16 (17.0%) patients required partial meniscectomy in cases of persistent pain or suture failure. Of these, 4 (25%) patients involved lateral and medial menisci each and 8 (50%) patients were not specified. After revision surgery, more than 80.0% of the patients (13) resumed sports activity. CONCLUSIONS: In elite athletes with isolated meniscal injury, partial meniscectomy and meniscal suture exhibited similar rates of RTS and return to pre-injury levels. Nonetheless, athletes required more time for RTS after meniscal repair and exhibited an increased rate of revision surgery associated with a reduced rate of RTS after the subsequent surgery. For lateral meniscus tears, meniscectomy was associated with a high rate of revision surgery and risk of chondrolysis, whereas partial medial meniscectomy allowed for rapid RTS but with the potential risk of developing knee osteoarthritis over the years. The findings of this systematic review suggested a suture on the lateral meniscus in elite athletes because of the high healing potential after the procedure, the reduced risk of developing chondrolysis and the high risk of revision surgery after partial meniscectomy. Furthermore, it is important to evaluate several factors while dealing with the medial meniscus. If rapid RTS activity is needed, a hyperselective meniscectomy is recommended; otherwise, a meniscal suture is recommended to avoid accelerated osteoarthritis. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV. STUDY REGISTRATION: PROSPERO-CRD42022351979 ( https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=351979 ).

Similar rate of return to sports activity between posterior-stabilised and cruciate-retaining primary total knee arthroplasty in young and active patient.

PURPOSE: Cruciate-retaining and posterior-stabilised implant designs are available for primary total knee arthroplasty. However, whether the implant design is associated with a difference in the level of activity still remains unclear. This clinical trial compared posterior-stabilised and cruciate-retaining implants in sport-related patient-reported outcome measures, range of motion, rate of return to sport, and weekly time dedicated to sport in active adults. It was also hypothesised that in young and active patients both implants lead to a similar rate of return to sport in terms of hours per week, type of sport, and joint mobility. METHODS: All patients were evaluated preoperatively and for a minimum of 36 months follow-up. The University of California Los Angeles activity scores, High-Activity Arthroplasty Score, and Visual Analogue Scale were administered preoperatively and at the last follow-up. The range of motion was investigated at admission and the last follow-up. Data concerning the hours per week dedicated to sports and the type of sport practiced were also collected at admission and at the last follow-up. The Kaplan-Meier Curve was performed to compare implant survivorship. RESULTS: Data from 227 procedures (cruciate-retaining: 109, posterior-stabilised: 118) were prospectively collected. At the last follow-up, no difference was reported in The University of California Los Angeles activity scores (p = 0.6), High-Activity Arthroplasty Score (p = 0.1), Visual Analogue Scale (p = 0.9), flexion (p = 0.7) and extension (p = 0.4). No difference was found in the rate of return (p = 0.1) and weekly hours dedicated to sport (p = 0.3). The Kaplan-Meier curve evidenced no statistically significant difference in implant survivorship (p = 0.6). CONCLUSIONS: At approximately five years of follow-up, no difference was reported between cruciate-retaining and posterior-stabilised implants in active adults in sport-related patient-reported outcomes measures, range of motion, pain, weekly time dedicated to sport, rate of return to sport, and implant survivorship. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level II, prospective study.

Good results after treatment of RAMP lesions in association with ACL reconstruction: a systematic review.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to systematically evaluate the clinical, functional, and radiological outcomes, complications, and rate of return to sports among patients with RAMP lesion of the medial meniscus encountered during anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted based on the PRISMA guidelines. Two independent reviewers searched the PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases using the terms "ACL" or "anterior cruciate ligament," and "RAMP lesion." The outcome measures extracted from the studies were the Short Form-12 (SF-12) in its mental and physical component (MCS and PCS), Lysholm score, Subjective IKDC, Marx Score, WOMAC Score, Tegner, Radiological changes, complications, failures and/or revision surgery, and rate of return to sports. RESULTS: The cohort of patients consisted of 1,243 participants with a mean age of 28.6 ± 2.6. The mean postoperative follow-up was 40.9 ± 6.3 months. A total of 1145 (92.1%) RAMP lesions were repaired with concomitant ACL reconstruction, while only 98 (7.9%) lesions were left untreated (or treated with abrasion only). The Lysholm score was used in 6 studies (in one only at final follow-up), with a significant improvement in all the studies (Lysholmpre 60.03 ± 6.12; Lysholmpost 89.9 ± 5.0). Eight studies out of nine reported Subjective IKDC score, and a significant improvement was noted in all cases (IKDCpre 56.2 ± 5.8. IKDCpost 84.9 ± 3.7). Of 18 (1.4%) complications reported, 15 (1.2%) were related to RAMP/ACL surgery, and of the remaining three (0.2%) two (0.2%) were hematomas and one (0.1%) a contralateral ACL lesion. Of the 106 (8.5%) revision surgeries required, 5 (0.4%) were in non-treated lesions [two (0.2%) ACL re-ruptures and three (0.2%) medial meniscus re-injury]. In treated patients, the revision occurred for the following reasons: 75 (6.0%) meniscectomy, 14 (1.1%) meniscal suture revisions, 11 (0.9%) ACL failures and one (0.1%) arthrolysis. CONCLUSIONS: It is not yet clear if, in all cases of ACL reconstruction in which a medial meniscal RAMP lesion is encountered, the lesion needs to undergo surgical repair. Accordingly, it is recommended that in the repair of all unstable medial meniscal RAMP lesions during an ACL reconstruction in cases associated with a stable RAMP lesion, the surgeon may decide on repair based on the patient profile. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV.

Radiographic and Clinical Evolution of the Oxford Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty.

The aim of the study is to evaluate whether the use of the new instrumentation Microplasty (MP) improves component positioning and the reliability of the surgical technique, reducing the implant outliers from the recommended range and providing a more accurate resection, while avoiding insufficient or excessive tibial resection and clinical scores. We prospectively analyzed clinical and radiographic outcomes of three consecutive cohorts for a total of 227 implants at a minimum follow-up of 36 months. The first cohort consisted of 67 Oxford unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (OUKA), using the phase III (Ph-III). The second cohort consisted of 136 OUKA, with the MP instrumentation. The third cohort consisted of 24 hypoallergenic OUKA, using the MP instrumentation (TiNbN). Postoperative alignment of the knee in the coronal and sagittal plane was measured using radiographs. No clinical differences were found among the three groups (p > 0.05). A significant difference was found on the slope between Ph-III and MP (p = 0.0005). Moreover, a significant difference was found in tibial angle and in tibial slope in arthroplasty with femoral size small (S), compared with size medium (M) or large (Ly) (tibia varus/valugs angle: p = 0.0484; tibial slope: p = 0.04). Similar results were found between small (AA, A, B) tibial size and large (C, D, E, F) tibial size for tibial varus/valgus (p = 0.03) angle and tibial slope (p = 0.003). A significant difference was found between Ph-III and MP in tibial slope in patients with body mass index (BMI) ≥25 kg/m2 (p = 0.0003). A positive correlation was noted between the femoral and tibial sizes and the tibial angle and the slope, and a negative correlation between weight and the tibial slope; furthermore, a positive correlation was found between Oxford knee score and radiographic angles. The MP instrumentation seems to be effective in determining the tibial cut and, particularly, improving the tibial slope, compared with Ph-III. The tibial slope is directly affected by the weight and measurements of the components, regardless of the instruments or the number of pegs, while clinical outcomes are correlated with implant position. This prospective comparative study reflects level of evidence II.

Similar clinical and radiographic outcomes after two different hypoallergenic medial unicompartmental knee in patients with metal allergy.

BACKGROUND: The purpose in the present study was to compare clinical and radiological outcomes of patients who had undergone a mobile-bearing unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) with either titanium niobium nitride (TiNbN) alloy implants or with fixed-bearing oxidized zirconium alloy implants. METHODS: The records of two consecutive cohorts for a total of 86 hypoallergenic implants were prospectively analyzed. The first cohort consisted of 49 consecutive implantations of the hypoallergenic UKA Journey Uni Oxinium (Ox Group), while the second consisted of 37 consecutive series of UKA Oxford (TiNbN Group). All patients were evaluated by two independent surgeons who were not involved in the index surgery. The clinical evaluation consisted of evaluating each patient's Oxford Knee Score and Knee Society Score day before surgery (T0), and with two consecutive follow-ups at T1 (minimum follow-up 9 months) and T2 (minimum follow-up 24 months). RESULTS: The two groups were homogeneous in all preoperative values, except Body Mass Index (BMI) and duration of final follow-up [both statistically higher (p < 0.05) in the TiNbN group]. Both groups showed a clinically significant improvement for all scores at final follow-up (p < 0.05). The only differences between the two groups involved a higher pre-operative Oxford Score in TiNbN group (p = 0.031), and different tibial and femoral angles at the final follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Both TiNbN and Oxinium UKA procedures enabled patients from good to excellent clinical and radiographic outcomes after the final follow-up, regardless of the age, gender, BMI bearing type, and implant size. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: LEVEL II: Comparative study.

High tibial osteotomy with an external fixator or unicompartmental knee arthroplasty for varus knee in young patients?

Purpose: This study compares the functional results and survivorship of unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) and high tibial osteotomy (HTO) with an external fixator for medial compartment osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. Methods: Two cohorts of patients aged less than 60 years who had undergone either a cemented medial mobile-bearing UKA or an HTO with an external fixator were included in the study. The first cohort included patients undergoing a series of 197 consecutive medial UKA procedures (UKA group). The second cohort consisted of 60 consecutive patients undergoing HTO with an external fixator (HTO group). Each patient was assessed based on the Oxford Knee Score (OKS), the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) and the Subjective International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score/questionnaire. A clinical evaluation was conducted on the day of the surgery (T0) and at the follow-up visit (T1) (minimum follow-up time was 60 months). Complications and failures resulting from the surgery were recorded for each patient. Results: Only the age of the patients at the pre-operative time differed significantly between the two groups, with the HTO group being significantly younger (47.7 ± 8.0 versus 55.8 ± 2.2).After the final follow-up visit, all scores improved in both groups (p < 0.05).IKDC and Oxford scores were higher for the UKA group (p < 0.05). In the HTO group, three complications occurred (5%), including two superficial infections and one deep infection. On the other hand, the UKA group reported four complications (2%): three aseptic mobilisations and one infection requiring revision surgery. There was no difference in the complication rate between the two groups (p = 0.208). Conclusions: In young patients (<60 years) with an isolated medial knee OA, both HTO and UKA led to good to excellent clinical results with a low rate of complications at mid-term follow-up; both surgical procedures may be considered in this patient population. Level of evidence: Level III.