Low postoperative complication rate with high survival rate and good clinical outcome 9 years after autologous chondrocyte transplantation of the knee joint.

PURPOSE: To investigate postoperative complications and associated risk factors for failure following autologous chondrocyte transplantation ("ACT") as well as its long-term survival and clinical function. It was hypothesized that ACT is a safe technique for cartilage repair with a low incidence of postoperative complications and rare rates of revision surgery combined with a high long-term survival and good to excellent clinical outcome in long-term-follow-up. METHODS: All patients undergoing ACT-Cs of the knee joint between 2006 and 2012 at the author's institution were included in this retrospective study. Concomitant procedures had been performed if necessary. Early postoperative complications, revision surgeries, failure and risk factors for those events were evaluated 6 months after the surgery. Long-term clinical outcome was assessed using the Lysholm Score, the Tegner Score, a 10-grade scale for satisfaction and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) at a minimum follow-up of 9 years postoperatively. Long-term survival was calculated using revision surgeries, clinical failures and conversion procedures to create a Kaplan-Meier analysis. A subgroup analysis for different defect locations was performed. 139 patients were included in this study (27% female/ 73%male; age 26.7 [21.7; 35.2] years). The median defect size was 4.0 [3.0; 6.0] cm2 (40% medial femoral condyle (MFC), 17% lateral femoral condyle (LFC), 36% patella, 19% trochlea). 97 (70%) of the patients had undergone previous surgery and 84 (60%) underwent concomitant procedures. RESULTS: Postoperatively, 8% of patients had complications (4% bleeding, 2% arthrofibrosis, 2% infection), 7% of patients needed revision surgery. 12% of patients had a prolonged deficit in ROM, that did not require revision surgery. No significant difference in terms of complications was found between the patellofemoral and femorotibial group. Patients demonstrated good patient reported long-term outcomes 9-15 years after the index surgery (Tegner: 4.7 ± 1.8; VAS: 2.4 ± 2.1; Lysholm: 80 ± 14; satisfaction with operation: 7.3 ± 1.9). Survival rates were 88% at 9 years, 85% at 11 years, and 85% at 13 years after the index procedure. Reasons for failure included debridement of ACT (n = 4; 5%), revision ACT (n = 3, 3%), conversion to total knee arthroplasty (n = 3, 3%) and conversion to High tibial osteotomy (HTO) (n = 1; 1%)). CONCLUSION: The present study indicates ACT as an effective treatment option for femorotibial- as well as patellofemoral cartilage defects with a high long-term survival and low conversion rate as well as good long-term results regarding knee function and satisfaction. Postoperative complications needing revision surgery are rare. Prolongated deficits of range of motion appear frequently up to six months especially in patellofemoral defects, but can often be successfully addressed by intensified physiotherapy without requiring an arthrolysis. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III.

High return to sports and return to work rates after anatomic lateral ankle ligament reconstruction with tendon autograft for isolated chronic lateral ankle instability.

PURPOSE: To evaluate clinical outcomes as well as return to sports (RTS) and return to work (RTW) rates following anatomic lateral ankle ligament reconstruction with a tendon autograft for chronic lateral ankle instability (CLAI) in a high-risk population, and to compare these outcome parameters between patients having received a gracilis tendon autograft (GT) and free split peroneus brevis tendon (PBT) autograft. METHODS: Twenty-eight consecutive patients, who were diagnosed with CLAI, presenting with ≥ 1 risk factor (ligamentous hyperlaxity, insufficient substance of native ligament and/or high-demand athlete), who underwent ankle ligament reconstruction with a tendon autograft between January 2011 and December 2018, were included in this retrospective study. At 63.7 ± 28.0 months (24-112), 23 patients with a mean age of 29.7 ± 10.9 years were available for follow-up. The Karlsson Score, the Foot and Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS), the Tegner Activity Scale and the visual analog scale (VAS) for pain were collected at a minimum follow-up of 24 months. RTS and RTW were evaluated by questionnaire. A subgroup analysis with regard to the graft used for ankle ligament reconstruction (GT versus PBT) was performed. RESULTS: Patients reported a Karlsson score of 82.1 ± 17.5 (37-100), a FAOS score of 87.8 ± 8.4 (73-99), a median Tegner activity scale of 5.0 (IQR 4-6) and a VAS for pain of 0.5 ± 0.9 (0-4) at rest and of 2.0 ± 2.1 (0-7) during activities at final follow-up. Postoperatively, 96% of patients had returned to sports after 8.3 ± 6.2 months. All patients (100%) had returned to work at 3.5 ± 5.7 (0-24) months, with 87% reporting an equal or improved working ability compared to that preoperatively. Postoperatively, exercise hours per week were significantly reduced compared to preoperatively in patients with a split PBT (n = 12; 13.0 ± 12.9 to 5.6 ± 6.4 h, p = 0.038) autograft as opposed to patients with a GT autograft (n = 11; 13.1 ± 8.7 to 12.4 ± 7.1 h, n.s.). No other group differences were observed. CONCLUSION: Good patient-reported outcomes as well as excellent RTS and RTW rates can be achieved in high-risk patients undergoing ankle ligament reconstruction with a tendon autograft for CLAI. These results may be helpful in preoperatively managing patients' expectations regarding sports- and work-related outcomes and provide tangible data on the expectable time frame of the individual return to sports and work trajectory. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

Excellent clinical and radiological outcomes after both open flake refixation and autologous chondrocyte implantation following acute patella dislocation and concomitant flake fractures.

PURPOSE: To investigate clinical and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging results of patients undergoing patella stabilization with either open flake refixation (oFR) or autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) and concomitant soft tissue patella stabilization after sustaining primary, acute patella dislocation with confirmed chondral and/or osteochondral flake fractures. It was hypothesized that refixation will lead to better results than ACI at mid-term follow-up. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was conducted to identify all patients undergoing oFR or ACI after sustaining (osteo-)chondral flake fractures and concomitant soft tissue patella stabilization following primary, acute patella dislocation between 01/2012 and 09/2018 at the author's institution. Patients were excluded if they were aged < 14 years or > 30 and had previous knee surgeries at the index knee. Clinical outcomes were assessed using the Tegner activity score, Kujala score, subjective IKDC score, and the KOOS score at a minimum follow-up of 24 months postoperatively. MR images were assessed using the Magnetic Resonance Observation of Cartilage Repair Tissue (MOCART) 2.0 knee score. Thirty patients were included in the study, with 16 patients assorted to the oFR group and 14 patients to the ACI group (Follow-up 81%). RESULTS: Demographic data did not show significant group differences (oFR: 6 females, 10 males; age 26.9 ± 5.6 years, FU: 57 months (27-97 months); ACI: 9 females, 5 males; age 25.5 ± 4.9 years, FU: 51 months (29-91 months); n.s.). Defect location was similar in both groups (oFR: 12 × patella/4 × lateral femoral condyle; ACI: 12/2; n.s.). Both groups showed excellent clinical outcomes, with no statistically significant difference between both the groups (oFR group vs. ACI group: Tegner: 5.1 ± 1.8 vs. 5.1 ± 1.4; Kujala: 86.1 ± 12.6 vs. 84.9 ± 9.1; IKDC: 83.8 ± 15.0 vs. 83.6 ± 11.3; KOOS: 83.3 ± 14.0 vs. 83.6 ± 12.0; n.s.). One patient in each group suffered a patella re-dislocation and needed revision surgery. The MOCART 2.0 score showed good results for the oFR group (68.2 ± 11.1) and the ACI group (61.1 ± 16.9) while no significant differences were noted between both the groups. The inter-rater reliability was excellent (0.847). CONCLUSION: Open refixation of (osteo-)chondral fragments in patients after sustaining acute patella dislocation with (osteo)-chondral flake fractures led to good clinical and radiological results at a minimum follow of 24 months, showing that it is a good surgical option in the treatment algorithm. However, if open refixation is not possible, ACI may be an excellent fallback option in these younger patients with equally good clinical and radiological outcomes, but requiring a second minimally invasive surgery. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III.

Center of pressure (COP) measurement in patients with confirmed successful outcomes following shoulder surgery show significant sensorimotor deficits.

PURPOSE: To determine the sensorimotor and clinical function of patients with confirmed successful outcome after either undergoing acromioclavicular joint (ACJ) stabilization, Bankart repair (BR), or rotator cuff repair (RC), and to compare these measures to the contralateral, healthy side without history of previous injuries or surgeries of the upper extremity. It was hypothesized that patients of each interventional group would have inferior sensorimotor function of the shoulder joint compared to the contralateral, healthy side, while presenting with successful clinical and functional outcomes. METHODS: Three intervention groups including ten patients who had confirmed successful clinical and functional outcomes after either undergoing ACJ stabilization, BR, or RC were evaluated postoperatively at an average follow-up of 31.7 ± 11.6 months. Additionally, a healthy control group (CG) of ten patients was included. Clinical outcomes were assessed using the Constant-Murley (CM) and American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) Score. Pain was evaluated using the visual analogue scale (VAS). Sensorimotor function was assessed by determining the center of pressure (COP) of the shoulder joint in a one-handed support task in supine position on a validated pressure plate. RESULTS: Each interventional group demonstrated excellent clinical outcome scores including the CM Score (ACJ 83.3 ± 11.8; BR 89.0 ± 10.3; RC 81.4 ± 8.8), ASES Score (ACJ 95.5 ± 7.0; BR 92.5 ± 9.6; RC 96.5 ± 5.2), and VAS (ACJ 0.5 ± 0.9; BR 0.5 ± 0.8; RC 0.5 ± 0.8). Overall, the CG showed no significant side-to-side difference in COP, whereas the ACJ-group and the BR-group demonstrated significantly increased COP compared to the healthy side (ACJ 103 cm vs. 98 cm, p = 0.049; BR: 116 cm vs. 102 cm, p = 0.006). The RC-group revealed no significant side-to-side difference (120 cm vs. 108 cm, n.s.). CONCLUSION: Centre of pressure measurement detected sensorimotor functional deficits following surgical treatment of the shoulder joint in patients with confirmed successful clinical and functional outcomes. This may indicate that specific postoperative training and rehabilitation protocols should be established for patients who underwent surgery of the upper extremity. These results underline that sensorimotor training should be an important component of postoperative rehabilitation and physiotherapeutic activities to improve postoperative function and joint control. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

Improved Clinical Outcome and High Rate of Return to Low-Impact Sport and Work After Knee Double Level Osteotomy for Bifocal Varus Malalignment.

PURPOSE: To evaluate return to sport (RTS) and work (RTW), as well as clinical outcomes following double level osteotomy (DLO) via combined medial open wedge high tibial osteotomy and lateral closing wedge distal femoral osteotomy for bifocal symptomatic varus malalignment, and to compare these outcome parameters between patients undergoing a single surgery and those undergoing a two-stage procedure. METHODS: Consecutive patients who underwent DLO for symptomatic varus malalignment between 12/2007 and 03/2018 were enrolled. Patients converted to arthroplasty (n = 3) during follow-up were excluded. Outcome measures included the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) Score, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), Lysholm score, Tegner Activity Scale, and visual analog scale (VAS) for pain, which were collected preoperatively and at a minimum of 24 months postoperatively. RTS and RTW were evaluated by questionnaire. Outcome measures were compared between DLO performed in a single- versus a two-stage surgery. RESULTS: Thirty-two patients (mean age: 44.2 ± 12.6 years), who underwent DLO for varus malalignment (10.1° ± 2.9°) were included at a mean follow-up of 56.9 ± 35.3 months (range: 24-148). Compared to preoperatively, these patients significantly improved in IKDC (50.4 ± 13.9 to 66.1 ± 15.4; P < .001), WOMAC (29.7 ± 19.2 to 11.8 ± 13.5; P < .001) and Lysholm (53.6 ± 23.6 to 73.1 ± 23.6; P = .002) scores at final follow-up. For the WOMAC score, 78% of the patients included reached the minimally important clinical difference, along with a significant reduction of the VAS for pain (5.0 ± 3.0 to 2.5 ± 2.4; P < .001). Postoperatively, 96% of patients returned to sport after 7.7 ± 4.8 months, but at a lower frequency (P = .010) and to fewer disciplines (P = .005) with a shift to low-impact sports. 90% of the patients returned to work at a mean 5.9 ± 9.4 months, with 79% reporting a similar or superior working ability. Patients undergoing a two-stage procedure recovered to full physical working ability at a significantly longer duration, as compared to a single-stage procedure (9.8 ± 3.8 vs 9.0 ± 13.1 months; P = .047). CONCLUSION: The majority of patients undergoing DLO for symptomatic varus malalignment, who were not converted to arthroplasty, experienced clinically significant functional improvement at mid-term follow-up. Return to sport and work rates in these patients were high; however, a shift to lower-impact sports disciplines was observed. Similar clinical outcomes can be expected when performing DLO in a single surgery or a two-stage procedure. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Retrospective case series; Level IV.