Macroscopic Synovial Inflammation Correlates with Symptoms and Cartilage Lesions in Patients Undergoing Arthroscopic Partial Meniscectomy: A Clinical Study.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to examine the relationship among patients' characteristics, intraoperative pathology and pre/post-operative symptoms in a cohort of patients undergoing arthroscopic partial meniscectomy for symptomatic meniscal tears. METHODS: Clinical data were collected (age, sex, body mass index, time to surgery, trauma). Intraoperative cartilage pathology was assessed with Outerbridge score. Meniscal tears were graded with the ISAKOS classification. Synovial inflammation was scored using the Macro-score. Patient symptoms were assessed pre/post-operatively using the KOOS instrument. RESULTS: In the series of 109 patients (median age 47 years), 50% of the meniscal tears were traumatic; 85% of patients showed mild to moderate synovitis; 52 (47.7%) patients had multiple cartilage defects and 31 (28.4%) exhibited a single focal chondral lesion. Outerbridge scores significantly correlated with patient age, BMI and synovial inflammation. There was a correlation between severity of chondral pathology and high-grade synovial hyperplasia. Pre-operative KOOS correlated with BMI, meniscal degenerative changes and symptom duration. Obesity, time to surgery, presence of high-grade synovial hyperplasia and high-grade cartilage lesions were independent predictors of worse post-operative pain and function. CONCLUSION: We demonstrated that pre-operative symptoms and post-operative outcomes correlate with synovitis severity and cartilage pathology, particularly in old and obese patients that underwent arthroscopic partial meniscectomy. Importantly, patients with a degenerative meniscal pattern and with longer time to surgery experienced more severe cartilage damage and, consequentially, pain and dysfunction. These findings are fundamental to identify patients suitable for earlier interventions.

Is arthroscopic videotape a reliable tool for describing early joint tissue pathology of the knee?

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess the reliability of the videotape scoring system collected during knee arthroscopy for meniscal tears, and to test the consistency with intra-operative findings. METHODS: Fifty-seven patients undergoing arthroscopic treatment of meniscal tears were included in the analysis. The cartilage damage was assessed intra-operatively, at six sites, using the Outerbridge scoring system. The meniscal tears were graded according to the International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine (ISAKOS) classification. The presence of synovial inflammation was scored, at four different sites, according to the macro-score method. The total cartilage, meniscal and synovial scores were calculated for each knee by the sum of the maximum grade of the lesions at each anatomic site. In order to assess the reliability of the arthroscopic scoring system, the videotapes recorded during the arthroscopy were reviewed by two independent observers one year after the surgery and compared with the scores completed by the surgeon during the operation. RESULTS: The total cartilage score showed substantial inter-rater and intra-rater reliability, and moderate consistency with the intra-operative score provided by the surgeon. The total meniscal score showed substantial inter-rater and intra-rater reliability, and good consistency with the intra-operative findings. The total synovial score showed substantial inter-rater agreement, substantial intra-rater reliability, and moderate consistency with intra-operative findings. CONCLUSIONS: The videotape scoring system provided a reliable and reproducible system for recording the intra-operative state of the whole joint pathology in patients undergoing arthroscopic treatment of meniscal tears.

A new approach to scaffold fixation by magnetic forces: Application to large osteochondral defects.

Scaffold fixation represents one of the most serious challenges in osteochondral defect surgery. Indeed, the fixation should firmly hold the scaffold in the implanted position as well as it should guaranty stable bone/scaffold interface for efficient tissue regeneration. Nonetheless successful results have been achieved for small defect repair, the fixation remains really problematic for large defects, i.e. defects with areas exceeding 2cm(2). This paper advances an innovative magnetic fixation approach based on application of magnetic scaffolds. Finite element modeling was exploited to investigate the fixation efficiency. We considered three magnetic configurations: (1) external permanent magnet ring placed around the leg near the joint; (2) four small permanent magnet pins implanted in the bone underlying the scaffold; (3) four similarly implanted stainless steel pins which magnetization was induced by the external magnet. It was found that for most appropriate magnetic materials and optimized magnet-scaffold positioning all the considered configurations provide a sufficient scaffold fixation. In addition to fixation, we analyzed the pressure induced by magnetic forces at the bone/scaffold interface. Such pressure is known to influence significantly the bone regeneration and could be used for magneto-mechanical stimulation.