Biomechanical evaluation of suture-tendon interface and tissue holding of three suture configurations in torn and degenerated versus intact human rotator cuffs.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to biomechanically evaluate suture-tendon interface and tissue holding of three sutures in torn and degenerated versus intact human rotator cuffs. METHODS: Sixty-three human rotator cuff tendons were divided into torn degenerated group (TDG), n = 21 and intact group (IG), n = 42. Ultimate tension load (UTL) and cyclic loading were tested for three arthroscopic sutures: simple, horizontal, and massive cuff sutures (MCS). RESULTS: Ultimate tension load was significantly higher (p < 0.05) for the MCS (194 ± 68 N) in comparison with the simple (105 ± 48 N) and horizontal sutures (141 ± 49 N) in IG. In TDG, UTL was not significantly higher (n.s.) for MCS (118 ± 49 N), simple (79 ± 30 N), and horizontal sutures (107 ± 28 N) in comparison with IG. MCS (118 ± 49 N) showed no significantly superior UTL in comparison with the simple and horizontal sutures in the TDG. MCA elongation was 0.6 ± 0.7 mm in the IG and 1.3 ± 0.7 mm in the TDG, while horizontal suture elongation was 0.7 ± 0.4 mm in the IG and 1.3 ± 0.5 mm in the TDG. Simple suture elongation was 1.1 ± 0.5 mm in the IG and 1.6 ± 0.7 mm in the TDG. CONCLUSION: Human torn and degenerated rotator cuffs have poor tissue quality, significantly lower UTL and higher cyclic elongation in comparison with intact cuffs regardless of the type of suture used for repair, which invites the need for repair techniques that grasps greater tissue volume in addition to augmentation techniques. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Clinicians better use repair techniques that grasp greater tissue volume (e.g. MCS, modified Mason-Allen cross bridge, double-row cross bridge, etc.) when repairing the torn and degenerated rotator cuffs.

Resection arthroplasty with and without capsular interposition for treatment of severe hallux rigidus.

Resection arthroplasty-known as the Keller procedure-is used for the treatment of severe hallux rigidus. As a modification of this procedure, resection arthroplasty is combined with cheilectomy and interposition of the dorsal capsule and extensor hallucis brevis tendon, which are then sutured to the flexor hallucis brevis tendon on the plantar side of the joint (capsular interposition arthroplasty). In this study the clinical and radiological outcome of 22 feet treated by interposition arthroplasty were investigated and compared with those of 30 feet on which the Keller procedure was performed. The mean follow-up period was 15 months. No statistically significant difference was found between either group concerning patient satisfaction, clinical outcome and increase in range of motion of the first metatarsophalangeal joint. At follow-up, patients who had undergone interposition arthroplasty did not show statistically significantly better American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) forefoot scores than those of the Keller procedure group. A high rate of osteonecrosis of the first metatarsal head was found in both groups. These radiological findings did not correlate with the clinical outcome at follow-up. In conclusion, no significant benefit in clinical or radiological outcome was found for capsular interposition arthroplasty compared with the Keller procedure.

Tapping test in patients with painful bone marrow edema of the knee.

BACKGROUND: Although bone marrow edema (BME) of the knee is a common phenomenon, physical tests to diagnose this condition have not been investigated. We hypothesized that a mallet test would be useful as a diagnostic aid and a screening tool. METHODS: Seventy patients (36 female, 34 male) were investigated in this controlled study. Group 1 consisted of patients with painful BME in the knee and group 2 of patients with a painful knee without BME. Pain provoked by a reflex mallet was assessed for each quadrant on a visual analog scale (VAS). RESULTS: The VAS score was 3.7 (+/-2.1 cm) for quadrants affected by BME (group 1), 1.59 (+/-1.44) in nonaffected quadrants of the knee affected by BME (group 1) and, 0.85 (+/-0.85) in painful knees without BME (group 2). Pain on the tapping test was significantly correlated with the presence of BME in the affected knee (P<0.0001) and the affected quadrant (P<0.0001 for the medial femoral condyle and the medial femoral plateau). A threshold value of VAS 2.0 for a tapping test to be positive in the distinction of BME affected quadrants of group 1 and all quadrants of group 2 sensitivity was 90.4%, specificity 83.7%, positive predictive value 73.4%, and negative predictive value 94.6% was determined. CONCLUSION: The tapping test is a good screening instrument to diagnose BME in the knee.

Deformity correction in children with hereditary hypophosphatemic rickets.

UNLABELLED: X-linked hereditary hypophosphatemic rickets can induce various multiplanar deformities of the lower limb. We evaluated our ability to correct these deformities and assessed complications and recurrence rates in 10 children (eight girls and a pair of twin boys) followed from early childhood to skeletal maturity. We performed 37 corrective operations in 10 children. Depending on the patient's age, external fixation was used in 53 segments: Kirschner wires in 18, DynaFix in three, the Taylor Spatial Frame device in 13, and the Ilizarov device in 19. Internal fixation with intramedullary nailing was performed in 12. After bone consolidation, we radiographically determined the mechanical axis at an average distance of 0.5 cm medial to the center of the knee. The average mechanical lateral distal femoral angle was 85 degrees (range, 83 degrees-92 degrees) and the average mechanical medial proximal tibial angle was 91 degrees (range, 85 degrees-92 degrees). Deviation of the mechanical axis and knee orientation lines was increased at the followups conducted during a period of 5 to 12 months. Additional followups revealed a recurrence rate of 90% after the first corrective procedure and 60% after a second procedure. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, therapeutic study. See the Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Natural course of intra-articular shifting bone marrow edema syndrome of the knee.

BACKGROUND: Intra-articular shift (migration) of bone marrow edema syndrome (BMES) is a very rare disease. Only a few cases have been reported thus far. The condition may cause the clinician to suspect an aggressive disease. METHODS: We reviewed eight patients (four women and four men) with unilateral BMES located in the knee. The patients were aged 39 to 56 years (mean, 49.2 years). In all patients, bone marrow edema (BME) initially observed on magnetic resonance imaging (MR imaging) shifted within the same joint, i.e. from the medial to the lateral femoral condyle or the adjacent bone. Seven patients were given conservative therapy, including limited weight-bearing, for a period of three weeks after the initial detection of BMES, whereas one patient underwent surgical core decompression twice. RESULTS: MR imaging showed complete restitution in 6 cases and a small residual edema in one case. A final control MR could not be obtained for one patient, who had no pain. A further patient had an avascular necrosis of the contralateral hip after 16 months. Improvement on MR imaging was correlated with the clinical outcome in all cases. All patients became asymptomatic after a mean period of 9 months (6-11). INTERPRETATION: Intra-articular shifting BMES is a very rare condition. As the disease is self-limiting, conservative therapy may be recommended.

MRI-demonstrated outcome of subchondral stress fractures of the knee after treatment with iloprost or tramadol: observations in 14 patients.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the outcome of subchondral stress fractures (SSF) of the knee after treatment with the prostacyclin analogue Iloprost or the opioid analgesic Tramadol. DESIGN: Case series/retrospective review. SETTING: Tertiary care center. PATIENTS: Fourteen patients with at least a single subchondral stress fracture of the knee, surrounded by bone marrow edema, visible on T1-weighted and short tau inversion recovery magnetic resonance images. INTERVENTIONS: Nine patients had been treated with oral Iloprost (group 1; 11 SSF) and 5 patients with Tramadol (group 2; 5 SSF) for 4 weeks in the course of a double-blind, randomized clinical trial. MR images were obtained at baseline (1 day before the start of treatment), after 3 months, and after 1 year. MAIN OUTCOME VARIABLES: SSF volumes and their rates of change between baseline and follow-up examinations, as determined on T1-weighted images by computer-assisted quantification. RESULTS: After three months, the SSF volumes had decreased by a median of 42.2% in group 1 and increased by a median of 2.2% in group 2 (P = 0.008). After 1 year, the median decrease in SSF volumes was 100.0% in group 1 and 65.7% in group 2 (P = 0.017). CONCLUSION: This small case series suggests that healing of SSF is more pronounced after Iloprost treatment.

Adjuvant laser acupuncture in the treatment of whiplash injuries: a prospective, randomized placebo-controlled trial.

UNLABELLED: Following introduction of the compulsory use of seat belts in cars, whiplash injuries of the cervical spine have become common in everyday practice. Current treatment approaches lead to resolution of the symptoms within a short time in most cases but cannot prevent a small proportion of patients developing persistent health problems. The effects of adjuvant treatment with laser acupuncture on the acute symptoms and the results one year after the injury were studied in this prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled single-blind study. One group of patients (n = 23) were treated with laser acupuncture (5 mW HeNe laser on 22 acupuncture points for 15 s each) plus cervical collar and a combination of paracetamol and chlormezanone; a second group (n = 22) received the same treatments but with the use of a placebo laser. The treatment was given three times per week until the patient was asymptomatic. No statistically significant advantage of the laser acupuncture treatment was found in the acute phase (mobility in all three planes, duration of pain and duration of use of a cervical collar) or the chronic phase (drug use and the incidences of chronic recurrent problems such as myofascial pain, headaches, vertigo and tinnitus). CONCLUSION: Adjuvant laser acupuncture with a 5 mW HeNe laser and an irradiation time of 15 s appears to be ineffective in the management of whiplash injuries.

A new arthroscopic technique for revision of the posterior compartment in symptomatic total knee arthroplasty.

Arthroscopy is effective in treating the symptomatic knee following total knee arthroplasty. A small number of patients complain about postoperative pain in the posterior compartment. Loose bodies and degenerated remnants of the menisci are the main reasons for this pain. We present a new technique for diagnostic and therapeutic arthroscopy of the posterior compartments in patients with symptomatic total knee arthroplasty. After standard anterior arthroscopy, a wide circular notchplasty is performed to allow easy access to the posterior lateral compartment of the knee joint and to apply a posterolateral working portal under direct arthroscopic control. If inspection of the posteromedial compartment is necessary, the loose tissue behind the posterior cruciate ligament is resected to gain access to the posteromedial compartment.

Bone marrow edema syndrome of the femoral head: treatment with the prostacyclin analogue iloprost vs. core decompression: an MRI-controlled study.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of the vasoactive drug iloprost in Bone Marrow Edema Syndrome (BMES) and to compare it to the results of a control group treated by core decompression. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 38 hips (36 patients) with BMES in the femoral head were investigated. In group A, 18 hips (17 patients; mean age 49 years) were treated with iloprost, a vasoactive drug that dilates arterioles and venules, reduces capillary permeability and suppresses platelet aggregation. The therapy comprised a series of five infusions with 20 microg iloprost over 6 hours on 5 consecutive days. Weight bearing was reduced for up to 3 weeks, depending on the severity of symptoms. In group B, 20 hips (19 patients; mean age 41 years) underwent surgical core decompression of the femoral head followed by 6 weeks of partial weight bearing. Both groups were evaluated clinically, radiographically and by MRI. RESULTS: In group A, one patient had to discontinue therapy on the first day because of severe headache. In the remaining patients the Harris Hip Score (HHS) improved from a mean of 64.7 points (range 44-89) before therapy to 97.0 points (83-100) after 3 months. MRI controls showed complete remission in all hips. In group B, the preoperative HHS improved from 53.7 points (31-82) to 95.1 points (39-100) after 3 months. MRI controls showed complete remission of BMES in 14 hips, residual focal bone marrow edema in four hips and a small osteonecrotic area in two hips. In both groups the high level of clinical recovery was maintained at the last examination after a mean follow up of 11 months in group A and 12 months in group B. CONCLUSION: The parenteral application of iloprost can achieve equal or better results in the treatment of bone marrow edema syndrome of the hip compared to core decompression.

MRI-controlled analysis of 104 patients with painful bone marrow edema in different joint localizations treated with the prostacyclin analogue iloprost.

BACKGROUND: Bone marrow edema (BME) is a common cause of pain of the musculoskeletal system. The aim of the study was to assess the efficacy of iloprost in the treatment of BME of different localizations and etiologies. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We reviewed 104 patients (54 male, 50 female) with BME. Their mean age was 52.8 +/- 14.7 years. BME was located 50 times in the knee, 19 times in the talus, 18 times in the femoral head and 17 times in other bones. Patients were allocated to three distinct etiological groups: 27 cases were estimated to have idiopathic BME, 16 post-traumatic BME and the other 61 BME secondary to activated osteoarthritis or mechanical stress. Therapy consisted of a series of five iloprost infusions with either 20, 25 or 50 microg of iloprost given over 6 hours on 5 consecutive days each. RESULTS: At the clinical follow-up four months after therapy, the pain level of the 104 patients at rest had diminished by a mean of 73% (p<0.0001): 64% of patients reported a reduction, 34% no change and 2% an increase in pain at rest. Pain under stress decreased by a mean of 59%, (p<0.0001): 76% of patients had less pain during activity, 22% no change from baseline and 2% an increased pain level. On MRI, 65% had significant reduction of BME size or complete normalization and 20% showed no change. Worsening of the MRI pattern was found in 2%. 13% were lost to MRI follow-up. Side effects were significantly reduced by lowering the daily dose from 50 to 20 microg, without impairment of therapeutic effect. CONCLUSION: The authors conclude that the use of parenteral iloprost might be a viable method in the treatment of BME of different etiologies.

Pharmacological management of aseptic osteonecrosis in children.

Aseptic osteonecrosis (AON) in children can progress during ossification of cartilage in periods of increased growth or excessive physical stain and may occur in various locations in the skeleton. Disturbance of blood supply to the bone has been suggested as the main pathological mechanism involved in AON, which is characterised by the death of bone marrow and trabecular bone. The extent and development of osteonecrosis and the duration of disease until restorative healing, depend on the formation of new blood vessels, the spreading of vessels in the affected bony areas, the absorption of osteonecrotic tissue and the structure of new bone. Conservative and operative treatment options for AON vary according to the location and development of the disease and the age of the patient. The goal of all treatment options currently used today is to achieve relief of physical load in the affected bone and to promote and regulate blood supply. Treatment should be started early in order to minimise the extent of osteonecrosis and allow restorative healing. As the processes of myelopoiesis, myelophthisis and fracture healing become more clear, interest has focused on advances in the utilisation of bioactive factors to salvage bone in children affected by AON. Such methods include the use of osteoinductive agents, such as cytokines and bone morphogenetic proteins, as well as factors that stimulate angiogenesis and regulate blood supply. Currently, the prostacyclin analogue, iloprost (Ilomedin, Schering AG), has been successfully used in a pilot study in children suffering from early stages of AON.

Painful bone marrow edema of the knee: differential diagnosis and therapeutic concepts.

Bone marrow edema (BME) is a common finding when patients with knee pain are evaluated by MRI. The typical MRI signal patterns for BME are nonspecific, however. This article categorizes painful BME of the knee joint into three distinct etiologic groups and briefly describes therapeutic approaches for each of the 12 different types of BME.

A new soft transglenoidal suture anchor for arthroscopic labrum fixation.

Inherent in most transglenoidal suture stabilization techniques of unstable shoulders is the unreliable fixation of posterior knots on the fascia. The transglenoidal suture anchor (TSA) technique overcomes this disadvantage. The TSA is a 1.5-cm loop of a No. 3 braided polyester thread with 5 knots. The loop is loaded with 1 or 2 sutures. Using a transglenoidal shuttle suture, it is pulled into a transglenoidal drill hole from the back in a retrograde fashion. The anchor is stopped at the posterior cortex of the glenoid by the knot. Using an arthroscopic suture passer technique (Bird Beak; Arthrex, Naples, FL) sutures are applied in the anterior-inferior part of the capsule, tied with a self-locking sliding knot, and secured with 2 or 3 additional throws. Two or 3 TSAs with 1 or 2 threads per anchor are used in most cases. The ultimate failure load of 10 samples of the anchor was tested with porcine scapulae. It was more than 156 N in every case. This technique enables the surgeon to use up to 4 anchors in the unstable shoulder with 1 or 2 sutures per anchor. The anchors are inexpensive. No problems are encountered in case of revision. There is no abrasion in the eyelet of the anchor as with metallic anchors and no synovitis as with some absorbable anchors.

Bone marrow edema of the forefoot after chevron osteotomy--a rare cause of metatarsalgia: a case report.

Treatment options of bone marrow edema syndrome, which is associated with vascular disturbances, are protracted nonoperative treatment or core decompression which still demands several weeks until complete recovery. We obtained excellent results by the use of the vasoactive drug iloprost, a stable prostacyclin analogue, leading to a complete relief of symptoms in cases of bone marrow edema which had initially suggested early avascular necrosis of the second metatarsal head. The bone marrow edema of the second metatarsal bone was thought to be due to altered biomechanics following a distal first metatarsal chevron osteotomy. During the five days of iloprost infusion, the patient reported relief of rest pain. After therapy, the pedobarogram was normalized. The AOFAS forefoot score improved from 44 to 85 points after one month, and to 95 points after three months. At that time, the marrow showed normal signals. Without additional intervention the patient was able to resume normal activities.

Outcome of painful bone marrow edema of the femoral head following treatment with parenteral iloprost.

BACKGROUND: Bone marrow edema (BME) is a common cause of hip pain. The aim of the study was to assess the efficacy of the vasoactive drug iloprost in the treatment of BME of femoral head. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed 27 patients (19 male, 8 female) with BME of the femoral head. Their mean age was 53.7 +/- 10.8 years. All patients were treated with iloprost, a vasoactive drug that dilates arterioles and venules, reduces capillary permeability and suppresses platelet aggregation. The therapy comprised a series of five infusions with 20 to 50 mug iloprost over 6 h on 5 consecutive days each. Weight bearing was reduced for up to 3 weeks, depending on the severity of symptoms. Pain at rest as well as under stress was assessed with a semi quantitative scale from before and 4 months after therapy. MRI investigations were done before and repeated 4 months after therapy. RESULTS: At the clinical follow up of four months after therapy, the pain level at rest had diminished by a mean of 58.3% (P < 0.0001). Pain under stress decreased by a mean of 41.9% (P < 0.0001). On MRI, 20 patients had a significant reduction of BME size or complete normalization and 4 showed no change. Worsening of the MRI pattern was found in 3 patients. CONCLUSION: The authors conclude that the use of parenteral iloprost might be a viable method in the treatment of BME of femoral head.

Two to nineteen years follow-up of arthroscopic meniscal repair using the outside-in technique: a retrospective study.

PURPOSE: To perform a long-term follow-up evaluation of the outside-in technique of arthroscopic meniscal repair. TYPE OF STUDY: Retrospective study. METHODS: Between the years 1986 and 2002, 93 cases of arthroscopic meniscal repair using the outside-in technique have been operated by the senior author (F.L.). Forty-one patients were available for the follow-up evaluation with a mean follow-up of 11.71 years. The International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC), the modified Lysholm score, the SF-36 (short form 36) health survey score, a visual analogue scale (VAS) for assessment of patients' satisfaction and another VAS for assessment of patients' pain were used retrospectively to evaluate the patients. We also used the Kellgren and Lawrence (K/L) classification of osteoarthritis to evaluate the preoperative X-rays and the X-rays done at the time of the follow-up evaluation. Failure was defined as having a meniscectomy procedure post-operatively. RESULTS: From the 93 patients, 52 could not be retrieved for the follow-up evaluation, while 41 were available for it; 36 patients were clinically successful and 5 were considered as failure. Thirty-six patients were classified as grade "A" in the objective IKDC score, mean modified Lysholm score was 87.29 (SD 16.43), while mean SF-36 score was 85.73 (SD 14.17). The results of the VAS for operation satisfaction ranging from -10 to +10 revealed that the mean of the answers was 8.05 (SD 2.99). The results of the VAS for pain ranging from 0 to 10 revealed that the mean of the patients' pain at the time of the follow-up evaluation was 1.8 (SD 2.42). Twenty out of 24 (only 24 preoperative X-rays were available) were classified as having no osteoarthritis pre-operatively, whereas only 12 out of the 41 patients were classified as having no osteoarthritis (normal) at the time of the follow-up evaluation according to the K/L classification which indicates progression of osteoarthritis. No complications related to the outside-in arthroscopic meniscal repair procedure were reported. CONCLUSION: We conclude that arthroscopic meniscal repair using the outside-in technique is a safe surgical procedure with a good clinical outcome.

Texture analysis for tissue discrimination on T1-weighted MR images of the knee joint in a multicenter study: Transferability of texture features and comparison of feature selection methods and classifiers.

PURPOSE: To investigate the reproducibility and transferability of texture features between MR centers, and to compare two feature selection methods and two classifiers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Coronal T1-weighted MR images of the knees of 63 patients, divided into three groups, were included in the study. MR images were obtained at three different MR centers. Regions of interest (ROIs) were drawn in the bone marrow and fat tissue. Then texture analysis (TA) of the ROIs was performed, and the most discriminant features were identified using Fisher coefficients and POE+ACC (probability of classification error and average correlation coefficients). Based on these features, artificial neural network (ANN) and k-nearest-neighbor (k-NN) classifiers were used for tissue discrimination. RESULTS: Although the texture features differed among the MR centers, features from one center could be successfully used for tissue discrimination in texture data on MR images from other centers. The best results were achieved using the ANN classifier in combination with features selected by POE+ACC. CONCLUSION: The differences in texture features extracted from MR images from different centers seem to have only a small impact on the results of tissue discrimination.

STIR vs. T1-weighted fat-suppressed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of bone marrow edema of the knee: computer-assisted quantitative comparison and influence of injected contrast media volume and acquisition parameters.

PURPOSE: To compare short tau inversion recovery (STIR) and T1-weighted (T1w) gadolinium (Gd)-enhanced fat-suppressed MRI of bone marrow edema (BME) of the knee, and investigate the influence of injected contrast media volume and variation of major acquisition parameters on apparent BME volume and signal contrast. MATERIALS AND METHODS: STIR and T1w Gd-enhanced fat-suppressed images were obtained from 30 patients with BME of the knee. Two groups of patients were examined with different MR scanners, acquisition parameters, and contrast media volumes. For both sequences, BME volume and signal contrast were assessed by computer-assisted quantification, and were compared through their arithmetic means and correlation coefficients (r(2)). The injected contrast media volume was also correlated with BME volume and signal contrast differences between sequences. RESULTS: A strong correlation between the STIR and Gd-enhanced T1w images was found for BME volume (r(2) = 0.96-0.99) and BME signal contrast (r(2) = 0.86-0.94). Despite the differences in MR acquisition parameters and injected contrast media volume, both sequences depicted an almost identical BME volume in both groups. Contrast media volume showed a moderate correlation (r(2) = 0.40) with BME volume differences. CONCLUSION: STIR is the optimum method for determining the size and signal contrast of BME. The injected contrast media volume appears to have only a limited influence on apparent BME volume.

Computer-assisted quantitative analysis of bone marrow edema of the knee: initial experience with a new method.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to describe a largely observer-independent computer-assisted method for accurate quantitative analysis of bone marrow edema. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten patients with bone marrow edema of the knee were included in the study. Coronal STIR images of the affected knees were obtained using a 1.0-T MR scanner. Size and signal intensity of the bone marrow edema were assessed on the basis of gray-scale value analysis and calculation of a threshold value for differentiating normal and edematous bone marrow. All measurements were carried out three times for statistical analysis. RESULTS: The intraobserver coefficient of variation was 0.89% for the volume and 0.94% for the signal intensity of the bone marrow edema, showing the small impact of manual interference on results produced with this method. CONCLUSION: A computer-assisted method for quantification of bone marrow edema has been described. Intraobserver variation was very low, indicating excellent reproducibility of results. Although the method is too time-consuming for clinical use, it is recommended for research purposes.