Delayed Meniscus Repair Lowers the Functional Outcome of Primary ACL Reconstruction.

BACKGROUND: Our purpose was to evaluate whether the time of intervention and the type of meniscus surgery (repair vs. partial meniscectomy) play a role in managing anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstructions with concurrent meniscus pathologies. METHODS: We performed a prospective cohort study which differentiated between early and late ACL reconstructions with a cut-off at 3 months. Patients were re-evaluated after 2 years. RESULTS: Thirty-nine patients received an operation between 2-12 weeks after the injury, and thirty patients received the surgery between 13-28 weeks after trauma. The strongest negative predictive factor of the International Knee Documentation Committee subjective knee form in a hierarchical regression model was older age (ß = -0.49 per year; 95% CI [-0.91; -0.07]; p = 0.022; partial R2 = 0.08)). The strongest positive predictive factor was a higher preoperative Tegner score (ß = 3.6; 95% CI [0.13; 7.1]; p = 0.042; partial R2 = 0.07) and an interaction between meniscus repair surgery and the time of intervention (ß = 27; 95% CI [1.6; 52]; p = 0.037; partial R2 = 0.07), revealing a clinical meaningful difference as to whether meniscus repairs were performed within 12 weeks after trauma or were delayed. There was no difference whether partial meniscectomy was performed early or delayed. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical timing plays a crucial role when surgeons opt for a meniscus repair rather than for a meniscectomy.

Magnetic resonance evaluation in long term follow up of operated lateral tibial plateau fractures.

BACKGROUND: A lack of data exists on the long-term magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings after surgical repair of tibial plateau fractures (TPFs). We evaluated the MRI findings 13 to 31 years after surgical repair of TPFs, focusing especially on the pathological changes in the ligaments, menisci, and cartilage. METHODS: Twenty-three patients with 24 TPFs underwent open reduction and internal fixation with the same fork-shaped surgical plate that was used in our institution until 1999. No patient underwent preoperative or immediately postoperative MRI. The knees of all patients who underwent plate removal were examined by axial, coronal, and sagittal MRI. The Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) and whole-organ magnetic resonance score (WORMS) were determined in all patients. RESULTS: All 24 knees exhibited MRI abnormalities. An unexpectedly high number of pathological changes in the menisci and ligaments were observed. No meniscal or ligamentous injuries were documented at the time of the injury or initial surgery, but meniscal injuries manifested in the long term. MRI in almost all cases showed a damage to the lateral meniscal, the severity of which was related to the degree of tibial plateau widening, but not to the severity of the lateral joint surface impression. The overall condition of the knee joint was satisfactory as measured by the WORMS, and there was a weak correlation between WORMS and KOOS.

Origin of the anterior cruciate ligament and the surrounding osseous landmarks of the femur.

The aims of this study were to evaluate the discernibility of the LIR (lateral intercondylar ridge) and the LBR (lateral bifurcate ridge) and show their reliability in femoral tunnel placement in ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) reconstruction. Additionally, their position to the femoral axis, their course, and the ACL footprint were analyzed. For this study, 235 human femora were evaluated. Of these, 166 specimens originated from the Museum of Natural History (group A), and 69 were obtained from fixed cadavers at the Anatomic Institute (group B). The femoral footprint and the osseous landmarks were identified macroscopically and labeled in the photographs. A coordinate system was outlined, and the dimensions, position, and orientation of the femoral footprint of the ACL were measured. The LBR was found in 24.7% of the specimens in group A and in only 13.2% of the specimens in group B. The LIR was found in 97.9% and 85.3% of the specimens in groups A and B, respectively. The area of the ACL footprint was 127.21 ± 32.54 mm(2) in group A and 119.58 ± 34.84 mm(2) in group B. The shapes and angles of the osseous landmarks near the line of Blumensaat were highly variable. The LBR is an unreliable intraoperative landmark for arthroscopic ACL reconstruction due to its low incidence. Other anatomical structures, such as the LIR or the osteochondral border, may be more helpful and reliable landmarks to guide proper tunnel placement.

Radiographic and clinical results after surgically treated tibial plateau fractures at three and twenty two years postsurgery.

PURPOSE: We examined the development of osteoarthritis (OA) and post-traumatic bone loss after surgery for tibial plateau fractures (TPF). METHODS: Patients who had participated in previous follow-up (FU) examinations after TPF and primary reduction and internal fixation were re-evaluated. At the first FU, a median of three years after the accident (short-term FU), the patients underwent functional assessments and standardised X-rays to grade radiological OA and post-traumatic bone loss. At the second FU, a median of 22 years after the accident (long-term FU), 30 patients were available. An identical protocol was applied, and additional investigations [Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the injured knee] were performed. RESULTS: When the subjective and objective results at first FU were compared with those of the second FU for the same patients, deterioration of symptoms, signs and radiological OA was noted; however, ten patients had no OA even after the long-term FU. Some patients developed post-traumatic bone loss. In 13 of 31 knees, there was little or no radiological evidence of bone loss at the second FU. CONCLUSIONS: The short-term FU examination results after TPF have little prognostic value for the individual patient, as good results may deteriorate over the long run; however, there were some knees with no OA at the long-term FU. This is the first report focusing on post-traumatic bone loss after TPF.

Reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament: a clinical comparison of bone-patellar tendon-bone single bundle versus semitendinosus and gracilis double bundle technique.

The study hypothesis was that the outcome of semitendinosus gracilis double bundle (STG-DB) anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is advantageous in terms of clinical results and restoration of anterior-posterior and rotational laxity in comparison to bone-patellar tendon-bone single-bundle (PTB-SB) ACL reconstruction. We analysed 41 PTB-SB and 51 STG-DB patients using the Tegner, IKDC and WOMAC scores preoperatively and at a minimum follow-up of two years. At follow-up, there was no significant difference in the clinical scores. The KT 1000 side-to-side measurement showed no significant difference between groups. The STG-DB group was significantly superior in terms of the pivot-shift sign and anterior knee pain. We conclude that the outcome of STG-DB reconstruction in the mid-term was not advantageous in terms of clinical scores and anterior-posterior laxity evaluated by the KT 1000. Nevertheless, the restored rotational laxity measured by the pivot shift test was significantly superior in the STG-DB technique.

Impact of tibial and femoral tunnel position on clinical results after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to correlate anatomic and nonanatomic tibial and femoral tunnel positions after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction with clinical outcome by use of bone-patellar tendon-bone (BPTB) single-bundle (SB) and semitendinosus-gracilis (STG) double-bundle (DB) techniques. METHODS: The 3-dimensional computed tomography scans of 53 patients' knees (27 BPTB-SB and 26 STG-DB) were prepared and measured by 2 examiners according to their tibial and femoral tunnel positions. We evaluated these radiologic constructions and measurements by use of the Cohen κ interobserver and intraobserver coefficient for 2 observers. Patients undergoing both techniques were divided into anatomic and nonanatomic reconstructions according to the findings of Zantop and Petersen. We correlated anatomically and nonanatomically reconstructed patients with clinical outcome by the Tegner score, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index score, International Knee Documentation Committee score, KT-1000 arthrometer (MEDmetric, San Diego, CA), and pivot-shift test in both techniques. RESULTS: The radiologic constructions and measurements of 53 computed tomography scans were achieved with a good agreement of interobserver and intraobserver coefficients for 2 observers. We found significantly superior clinical outcome in anatomic ACL reconstructions in both techniques in terms of higher clinical scores (Tegner and International Knee Documentation Committee), higher anterior posterior stability, and less pivot shift. We observed the best outcome in anatomic STG-DB reconstructions. CONCLUSIONS: This investigation showed that better clinical results are associated with anatomic ACL reconstructions. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level II, prospective comparative study.