RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Heat necrosis due to motorized drilling during anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction could be a factor in delayed healing at the bone-tendon graft interface. HYPOTHESIS: The process of osteointegration could be enhanced using manual drilling. It reduces the invasiveness of mechanical-thermal stress normally caused by the traditional motorized drill bit. STUDY DESIGN: Controlled laboratory study. METHODS: ACL reconstruction using semitendinosus tendon autografts was performed in 28 skeletally mature female New Zealand white rabbits, which were randomly divided into 3 groups. In group A (n = 12), the tunnels were drilled using a motorized device; in group B (n = 12), the tunnels were drilled using a manual drill bit; and group C (n = 4) served as a control with sham surgical procedures. The healing process in the tunnels was assessed histologically at 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks and graded according to the Tendon-Bone Tunnel Healing (TBTH) scoring system. In addition, another 25 rabbits were used for biomechanical testing. The structural properties of the femur-ACL graft-tibia complex, from animals sacrificed at 8 weeks postoperatively, were determined using uniaxial tests. Stiffness (N/mm) and ultimate load to failure (N) were determined from the resulting load-elongation curves. RESULTS: The time course investigation showed that manual drilling (group B) had a higher TBTH score and improved mechanical behavior, reflecting better organized collagen fiber continuity at the bone-fibrous tissue interface, better integration between the graft and bone, and early mineralized chondrocyte-like tissue formation at all the time points analyzed with a maximum difference at 4 weeks (TBTH score: 5.4 [group A] vs 12.3 [group B]; P < .001). Stiffness (23.1 ± 8.2 vs 17.8 ± 6.3 N/mm, respectively) and ultimate load to failure (91.8 ± 60.4 vs 55.0 ± 18.0 N, respectively) were significantly enhanced in the specimens treated with manual drilling compared with motorized drilling (P < .05 for both). CONCLUSION: The use of manual drilling during ACL reconstruction resulted in better tendon-to-bone healing during the crucial early weeks. Manual drilling was able to improve the biological and mechanical properties of bone-hamstring tendon graft healing and was able to restore postoperative graft function more quickly. Tunnel drilling results in bone loss and deficient tendon-bone healing, and heat necrosis after tunnel enlargement may cause mechanical stress, contributing to a delay in healing. Manual drilling preserved the bone stock inside the tunnel, reduced heat necrosis, and offered a better microenvironment for faster healing at the interface. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Based on study results, manual drilling could be used successfully in human ACL reconstruction, but further clinical studies are needed. A clinical alternative, called the original "all-inside" technique, has been developed for ACL reconstruction. In this technique, the femoral and tibial tunnels are manually drilled only halfway through the bone for graft fixation, reducing bone loss. Data from this study suggest that hamstring tendon-to-bone healing can be improved using a manual drilling technique to form femoral and tibial tunnels.
RESUMO
Sacral stress fractures are common in elderly people. However, sacral stress fracture should be always screened in the differential diagnoses of low back pain during the postpartum period. We present a case of sacral fracture in a thirty-six-year-old woman with low back pain and severe right buttock pain two days after cesarean section delivery of a 3.9 Kg baby. The diagnosis was confirmed by MRI and CT scan, while X-ray was unable to detect the fracture. Contribution of mechanical factors during the cesarean section is not a reasonable cause of sacral fracture. Pregnancy and lactation could be risk factors for sacral stress fracture even in atraumatic delivery such as cesarean section. Our patient had no risk factors for osteoporosis except for pregnancy and lactation. Transient or focal osteoporosis is challenging to assess and it cannot be ruled out even if serum test and mineral density are within the normal range.
RESUMO
Rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament is one of the most common ligament injuries in sports traumatology. The need for surgical anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction is justified by its anatomical characteristics. Key considerations when choosing a graft include the potential for bone integration and the risk of failure. Bone sclerosis around the tunnel affects the integration of the graft. For this reason, one aspect upon which orthopedic surgeons should focus is the biology of the bone-graft interface. Although the BPTB graft is still used, hamstrings and synthetic grafts have become increasingly widespread and popular over the years. An allograft certainly requires more long-term follow-up to validate its use in response to functional, clinical and biological requirements.
