Arthroscopic Remnant Preserving 3-Portal Posterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction With Reverse Passage of the Graft.

The posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) is the largest and strongest ligament of the knee, with a tremendous role as the primary posterior stabilizer of the knee. Surgical management of PCL injuries is very demanding, due to the fact that the PCL tear usually is a part of multiligamentous knee injury. Moreover, PCL anatomy, especially its course and attachment points to femur and tibia, makes reconstruction of the PCL technically challenging. The main pitfall is the sharp angle between created during reconstruction surgery bony tunnels, which forms so called "killer turn". The authors present a technique of the remnant-preserving PCL arthroscopic reconstruction that simplifies the procedure and uses the method of reverse passage of the PCL graft to overcome the killer turn.

Knee Osteochondral Defect Reconstruction With Autologous Bone Grafting and Mesenchymal Cell Transplantation.

Osteochondral defects of the knee are common in orthopaedic patients. They are challenging to treat, especially in young, highly demanding patients who do not qualify for arthroplasty. Among the many possibilities to treat osteochondral lesions presented so far, none is ideal. Because of the poor healing potential of cartilage, treatment outcomes significantly worsen with larger lesions. The treatment of large defects usually requires expensive solutions, sometimes including second-stage surgery. Using mesenchymal stem cell transplantation and cancellous bone autografts, the technique presented here for osteochondral lesion reconstruction can be effectively used to treat large osteochondral lesions in a single-stage procedure.

Arthroscopy-Assisted Management of Schatzker Type III Lateral Tibial Plateau Fracture With Interference Screw Fixation.

Tibial plateau fractures occur in both old and young patients and may be caused by low-energy trauma, as well as high-energy trauma. Owing to the variety of injury mechanisms and fracture patterns, tibial plateau fractures are very challenging to treat. One of the most demanding fractures is the type III fracture according to the Schatzker classification, which is a pure depression of the lateral tibial plateau. Treatment with open surgical procedures is associated with vast soft-tissue trauma and prolonged recovery after surgery. Although soft-tissue trauma is minimized and visual control is improved throughout arthroscopy-assisted surgical procedures, internal fixation using buttress plates or lag screws is still required to reduce and fix the depressed plateau. We present an arthroscopy-assisted technique of reduction and fixation of the lateral tibial plateau fracture with 3 BioComposite interference screws (Arthrex, Munich, Germany) that provides a high amount of stability and reduces patient immobilization, allowing for faster rehabilitation.

Quadriceps Tendon-Bone Full-Thickness Autograft: Reproducible and Easy Harvesting Technique Using Simple Surgical Tools.

Autogenous quadriceps tendon-bone graft is a great choice for knee reconstruction procedures, including primary and revision reconstructions of both anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and posterior cruciate ligament. In primary ACL reconstruction, one of the most frequently performed procedures in orthopaedic surgery, it is gaining more and more popularity owing to improved or similar biomechanical, anatomic, and histological properties than bone-patellar tendon-bone graft. The clinical outcomes of quadriceps tendon-bone graft in ACL reconstruction are similar to bone-patellar tendon-bone graft, however, lowering the inconvenience associated with donor-site morbidity and making it possible to adjust graft length and diameter. This Technical Note describes a surgical technique for harvesting a full-thickness quadriceps tendon graft with a bone block using simple surgical tools.

External Snapping Hip Syndrome Endoscopic Treatment: "Fan-like" Technique as a Stepwise, Tailor-made Solution.

Classically, external snapping hip syndrome (ESHS) is considered to be caused by friction of a tight iliotibial band (ITB) over the greater trochanter (GT), which leads to pain, inflammation, and palpable or audible snapping. Surgical treatment remains a gold standard in patients resistant to conservative measures. Many surgical procedures addressing ESHS exist in the literature, but the vast majority of them involve only plasties of the ITB. However, observations led us to the conclusion that friction of the ITB over the GT may not be the only cause of ESHS and other structures like gluteal fascias or an anterior scarred part of gluteus maximus may be involved. The aim of this article is to provide a detailed description and video demonstration of an endoscopic surgical procedure using a "fan-like" cut to treat the ESHS. Its greatest advantage is the ability to gradually increase the extent of surgery based on intraoperative observations. It turns the procedure into a tailor-made surgery, which offers good and reproducible results.

Synovialization and Revascularization Enhancement in Repaired and Reconstructed ACL: PCL Fat Pad Transfer Technique.

The rapid development of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction and repair techniques has significantly improved the outcomes of these procedures. However, there is still some place for how to improve surgical techniques to limit the amount of revision surgeries. Over the past decade, biological solutions and methods of ligament remodeling enhancement have been proposed. The use of the native ACL remnants has been the most thoroughly analyzed technique. However, despite its benefits, this technique may not to be sufficient to improve outcomes and may cause some technical difficulties. On the other hand, the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) fat pad contains an abundant synovial vascular network and is located in close proximity to the ACL, which makes it a potential biological donor place of cells and tissue that could enhance the ligamentization of the repaired or reconstructed ACL. To optimize the use of this donor site, we propose the technique of ACL synovialization and revascularization enhancement with a PCL fat pad transfer.

You Can Repair More Tears Than You Think-Tricks for All-Inside Lateral Meniscal Repair With Nonabsorbable Sutures.

Since the role of the menisci has been better understood, there is a trend toward the meniscal repair rather than meniscectomy in the management of meniscal tears. Although numerous techniques of meniscal repair have been described and many authors advocate for and against each of them, no single method is universally accepted. The all-inside repair provides several advantages, such as a lower risk of neurovascular injury, the early introduction of exercises in passive range of motion, or the high strength of the repair. However, the all-inside meniscal repair with nonabsorbable suture is considered to be a technically demanding procedure with a long learning curve needed to perform it properly. The purpose of this Technical Note is to present the technique of lateral meniscus repair with nonabsorbable sutures and to provide surgical pearls to facilitate this procedure.

Technique for Treatment of Subchondral Compression Fracture of the Lateral Femoral Condyle Associated With ACL Tear.

Excessive knee pivoting that causes a complete anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear may result in a subchondral compression fracture on the lateral femoral condyle after impacting the lateral tibial condyle. Because this mechanism is similar to the humeral head that has an impact on the glenoid during an anterior shoulder dislocation, such an osteochondral fracture can be considered equivalent to a "Hill-Sachs lesion of the knee." Restoring the native anatomy of the lateral femoral condyle articular surface is crucial, because its depression alters knee biomechanics, leading to bony knee instability, potentially greatly elevating the risk of ACL reconstruction failure and meniscal tears. In addition, bony knee instability increases the forces acting on the cartilage, which may impair one's quality of life and lead to the development of osteoarthritis. The fact that many patients with complete ACL tears are relatively young emphasizes the key role of osteoarthritis prevention. The aim of this report is to present a minimally invasive procedure to treat the "Hill-Sachs-like" knee lesion, a tricky enemy of knee stability.

Spontaneous osteonecrosis of the knee: what do we know so far? A literature review.

PURPOSE: Spontaneous osteonecrosis of the knee (SONK) is said to be a relatively common disease which may lead to an end-stage osteoarthritis of the knee. The aim of this paper was to review the literature on this field published until now, discuss the results of both conservative and surgical treatment options, as well as to introduce new methods of treatment, which may be applicable in SONK treatment. METHODS: We searched the PubMed and Cochrane databases until November 2019 and presented the most recent findings in this work. RESULTS: The exact aetiology of SONK still remains unclear; however, recent studies suggested that early stage of SONK is rather a result of the subchondral fracture than primary osteonecrosis. So far described conservative treatment includes non-weight bearing or protected weight bearing with a knee brace, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, analgesics, and bisphosphonates. Surgical management includes arthroscopic debridement, core decompression, osteochondral autograft, high tibial osteotomy, and unicompartmental knee arthroplasty or total knee arthroplasty. CONCLUSIONS: Although the aetiology of SONK remains unknown, there are many treatment options, and the choice of the most suitable one is challenging. We think that subchondroplasty may be one of the effective methods.

Arthroscopic Anatomic Anterior Talofibular Ligament Repair for Anterolateral Ankle Instability.

Ankle instability is due to repetitive inversion injuries and is usually treated conservatively; however, after repeated sprains, chronic instability occurs and usually requires a surgical procedure. Recently, arthroscopic repair of a torn anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) has become more popular owing to its minimal invasiveness and high efficacy. An all-inside technique allows for anatomic restoration of the injured ATFL, provides stability to the ankle joint, prevents a limitation of ankle range of motion, and may prevent arthritic development. We present an all-inside arthroscopic ATFL repair technique.

Medial Collateral Ligament Reconstruction With Anteromedial Reinforcement for Medial and Anteromedial Rotatory Instability of the Knee.

Even though structures of the medial side of the knee have a high potential to heal without surgery, in some circumstances injuries of this region may lead to development of chronic medial and anteromedial rotatory instability (AMRI). In those circumstances, surgery should be performed. Current-day surgical techniques are focused on recreating the function of the main stabilizers of the medial side of the knee, which are the medial collateral ligament and the posterior oblique ligament, but they omit the role of the anteromedial capsule. Nonetheless, they are able to restore at most "near-native" biomechanics of the joint, are highly invasive, and require advanced skills in posteromedial knee surgery. Maybe we should take a look at chronic medial instability and AMRI from the other side? We present a minimally invasive reconstruction of the superficial medial collateral ligament with anteromedial reinforcement for the AMRI component. Level of evidence: 1 (knee) and 2 (collateral ligaments).

All-Arthroscopic Treatment of Schatzker Type III Lateral Tibial Plateau Fracture Without Fluoroscopy.

Tibial plateau fracture treatment remains challenging for orthopaedic surgeons around the world, especially in case of type III fractures according to the Schatzker classification, which are a pure depression of the lateral tibial plateau. Whereas open surgical procedures are associated with increased soft-tissue trauma because of the extent of the surgical approach and do not always allow for proper visualization of the fracture site, arthroscopic-assisted surgeries have been proven to have benefits over the former in terms of minimizing soft-tissue trauma, improved visual control of the fracture reduction, and the time of recovery. Most arthroscopic techniques, however, require using fluoroscopy. We present an all-arthroscopic procedure for Schatzker type III lateral tibial plateau fractures with using a trans-septal portal for visualization, which does not demand fluoroscopy.

Possible Approaches to Endoscopic Treatment of Popliteal Cysts: From the Basics to Troublesome Cases.

Popliteal cysts can be an oppressive symptom in patients with concomitant intra-articular knee pathologies. Because isolated treatment of intra-articular lesions is usually not sufficient to resolve the problems associated with a large symptomatic popliteal cyst, a popliteal cyst should be concurrently addressed with other knee pathologies to maximize patient outcomes. Conservative treatment and open surgical excision are associated with high rates of recurrence, so arthroscopic techniques are the preferred treatment options for recalcitrant cases. Arthroscopic communication-enlargement surgery with cyst wall removal seems to be the most effective. We present a simple and effective basic technique for arthroscopic popliteal cyst treatment and some approaches that allow management of the more demanding cases.

Minimally Invasive, Arthroscopic-Assisted, Anatomic Posterolateral Corner Reconstruction.

As the anatomy and biomechanics of the posterolateral corner (PLC) of the knee have become better understood, the importance of the PLC's proper function has become a more frequently raised subject. Misdiagnosed chronic posterolateral instability may lead to serious consequences, including cruciate ligament reconstruction graft failure. It has been proved that high-grade PLC injuries need to be treated operatively. Surgical approaches vary, and techniques are still developing. Considering avoidance of an extended surgical approach and minimizing the risk of common peroneal nerve or popliteal artery injuries, we developed the minimally invasive, arthroscopic-assisted, anatomic PLC reconstruction.

Tips and Pearls for All-Inside Medial Meniscus Repair.

The medial meniscus is one of the most commonly injured structures in the knee. When the importance of its proper function is well understood, an adequate management in meniscus tear is a key issue for whole knee joint well-being. Although it has been proven that meniscal repairs have better long-term results than meniscectomy, there is still no consensus as to which suturing technique is the best. An all-inside technique seems to allow for the most anatomic repairs with the greatest preservation of surrounding soft tissues. Our aim is to show that there are no technical limits for all-inside meniscal repairs with nonabsorbable sutures. We describe the technique and some tricks for medial meniscus repair in this Technical Note.

The structural, phonon and optical properties of [CH3NH3]M0.5CrxAl0.5-x(HCOO)3 (M = Na, K; x = 0, 0.025, 0.5) metal-organic framework perovskites for luminescence thermometry.

We report the structural, phonon and luminescence studies of six heterometallic perovskite-type metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) templated by methylammonium cations (CH3NH3+ and MeA+) with the following formulae: [MeA]Na0.5Cr0.5(HCOO)3 (MeANaCr), [MeA]K0.5Cr0.5(HCOO)3 (MeAKCr), [MeA]Na0.5Al0.5(HCOO)3 (MeANaAl), [MeA]K0.5Al0.5(HCOO)3 (MeAKAl), [MeA]Na0.5Cr0.025Al0.475(HCOO)3 (MeANaAlCr, 5 mol% of Cr3+ ions) and [MeA]K0.5Cr0.025Al0.475(HCOO)3 (MeAKAlCr, 5 mol% of Cr3+ ions). All of them crystallise in a monoclinic system (P21/n space group) with one MeA+ cation in an asymmetric unit forming four medium-strength hydrogen bonds (HBs) with a metal-formate framework. The DSC measurements and XRD single-crystal studies show that the studied crystals do not undergo structural phase transitions in the 100-440 K range. The high tolerance factors indicate that there is not enough space for the re-orientational motions of the MeA+ cations, explaining the lack of the structural phase transitions. We also present IR and Raman studies supported by the factor group analysis together with luminescence properties. We have shown that the strength of the crystal field parameter (Dq/B) varies in the 2.13-2.56 range depending on the chemical composition of the studied compounds. We show that perovskite-like formate MOFs with Na+ (K+) ions can be considered as potential candidates for non-contact thermometry in the 225-400 K (325 K) range.

Superficial Medial Collateral Ligament Reattachment During High Tibial Osteotomy: Regulate Tension, Preserve Stability!

High tibial osteotomy (HTO) is a commonly performed surgical procedure. Although it is well-known that the superficial medial collateral ligament (sMCL) should be released during HTO, there is still no agreement on performing its reattachment. Considering the function of the sMCL, after its release during HTO, increased medial joint instability may be expected. We present a technique for sMCL reattachment that prevents medial gapping development and maintains nearly native pressure on the medial compartment of the knee joint by matching the tension on the sMCL to the size of the osteotomy gap. This technique is suitable for any correction angle.

All-Arthroscopic Posterior Cruciate Ligament Distal Reattachment With Extracortical Fixation.

Avulsion fractures of the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) are a rare, but serious, knee pathology. Early surgical treatment is regarded as necessary to maintain knee stability. Recommended management involves open reduction with internal fixation through a posterior approach. However, open surgeries are associated with a greater risk of complications. Current data suggest excellent outcomes for arthroscopic-assisted fixation, with a low complication rate. The purpose of this technical note is to present an all-arthroscopic PCL distal reattachment with extracortical fixation technique. This technique provides precise fracture reduction, is easily reproducible, and is relatively safe to treat PCL tibial avulsion fractures.

Arthroscopic Complete Posterior Capsulotomy for Knee Flexion Contracture.

Knee flexion contracture is a clinically important complication that can be observed after trauma, after knee surgery, or as a result of osteoarthritis. When it is left untreated, knee shearing forces increase not only in the affected joint but also in the contralateral knee, leading to mechanical overload in both limbs. Conservative management is a first-line treatment option for extension deficits, but when it fails, surgical treatment is necessary. Open as well as arthroscopic techniques focus mainly on an anterior arthrolysis and a posterior capsular release. Until now, posterior capsulotomy involved either a medial posterior capsular release or medial and lateral posterior capsular releases. Our aim is to present the technique of arthroscopic complete posterior capsulotomy for knee flexion contractures.

Arthroscopic Posterolateral Corner Stabilization With Popliteus Tenodesis.

The injuries of the posterolateral corner (PLC) of the knee often remain misdiagnosed. Because most structures in this anatomical region have low potential to heal, the posterolateral rotational instability results in a deterioration in patient quality of life, impaired biomechanics of the knee, and increased tension on other ligaments and the meniscus. Many open and a few arthroscopic techniques have been developed to repair or reconstruct the damaged structures of the PLC. Creating an additional midlateral arthroscopic portal on the lateral side of the knee was the key to developing the technique to recreate a static stabilizer against external rotational instability of the PLC by fixing the popliteus tendon as a native, vascularized material to the tibia.