Five-year clinical follow-up of arthroscopically treated chronic ankle instability.

INTRODUCTION: Arthroscopic treatment of lateral ankle instability is a recent innovation. In 2014, a prospective study was initiated by the French Society of Arthroscopy demonstrating the feasibility, morbidity and short-term results of arthroscopic treatment of ankle instability. HYPOTHESIS: The functional results of arthroscopic treatment of chronic ankle instability found after one year were maintained in the medium term. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The prospective follow-up of the patients included in the initial cohort was continued. The Karlsson and AOFAS scores, as well as patient satisfaction, were assessed. The causes of failure underwent univariate and multivariate analyzes. The results of 172 patients were included (40.2% ligament repairs; 59.7% ligament reconstructions). The average follow-up was 5years. The average satisfaction was 8.6/10, the average Karlsson score was 85 points and the average AOFAS score was 87.5 points. The reoperation rate was 6.4% of patients. The failures were related to an absence of sports practice, a high BMI and female gender. A high BMI and the intense sports practice were associated to ligament repair failure. The absence of sports practice and the intraoperative presence of the anterior talofibular ligament were associated to ligament reconstruction failure. DISCUSSION: Arthroscopic treatment of ankle instability confers high satisfaction in the medium term, as well as long-lasting results with a low reoperation rate. A more detailed evaluation of the failure criteria could help guide the choice of treatment between ligament reconstruction or repair. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II.

Return to sport after surgery for osteochondral lesions of the talar dome. Results of a multicenter prospective study on 58 patients.

INTRODUCTION: Osteochondral lesions of the talar dome (OLTD) are most often found in patients for whom the return to sports activities is the main issue. Two types of surgery have been distinguished at present, bone marrow stimulation techniques and mosaicplasty techniques. The size of the lesion indicating the need for bone marrow stimulation as the required surgical procedure has recently been decreased (<1cm). The main objective of this study was therefore to evaluate the return to sport after OLTD surgery. Our hypothesis is that surgery of osteochondral lesions of the talar dome allows the resumption of sports activities in the majority of cases. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This multicenter prospective study was conducted across 10 French centers specializing in foot and ankle surgery. All patients aged 18 to 65 with symptomatic OLTD resistant to thorough medical treatment for at least 6 months, justifying surgery, were included from June 2018 to September 2019. In addition to the usual demographic data, the practice of sport and level (professional, competitive, leisure) were systematically investigated preoperatively. A common protocol for surgical management and postoperative follow-up had previously been established according to the arthrographic stage of the lesion. The most recent recommendations based on size, but also depth, were taken into account. The primary endpoint was return to sport. RESULTS: A final functional evaluation with the AOFAS (American Orthopedic Foot & Ankle Society) score was performed at a minimum of 12 months. Of 58 sports patients, 70.6% returned to sport (41/58) with an average delay of 4.3 months. A high AOFAS functional score (p=0.02) and a stage 1 lesion (p=0.006) were the only preoperative criteria significantly associated with a return to sport. No other factor was predictive of a return to sport. CONCLUSION: Our prospective study shows that 70.6% of sports patients returned to sport after OLTD surgery according to a surgical protocol and standardized follow-up. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II.

Long-term outcome for repair of osteochondral lesions of the talus by osteochondral autograft: A series of 56 Mosaicplasties®.

INTRODUCTION: The present study analyzed results in 56 osteochondral Mosaicplasty® autografts for osteochondral lesion of the talus (OLT) at more than 5 years' follow-up. HYPOTHESIS: Mosaicplasty® shows long-term efficacy and low morbidity in the treatment of OLT. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A multicenter retrospective study included patients treated by Mosaicplasty® with more than 5 years' follow-up. Preoperative data were collected from medical files, and all patients were reassessed. AOFAS scores and FAOS were calculated at last follow-up. Imaging comprised standard radiographs and MRI or CT arthrography of the ankle. RESULTS: Fifty-six patients were included, with a mean age of 34 years (range, 18-60 years). Seventeen involved work accidents. Mean follow-up was 8.5 years (range, 5-20 years). Mean AOFAS score at follow-up was 80.6±19.4 and mean FAOS 77.8±21.5. Work accident, preoperative osteoarthritis and untreated laxity correlated significantly with poorer results. At last follow-up, 22 patients (39%) showed signs of osteoarthritis. There was no morbidity implicating the malleolar osteotomy. There were 11 cases (20%) of persistent patellar syndrome at the donor site. DISCUSSION: The present results were comparable to those reported elsewhere, showing that functional results of Mosaicplasty® autograft for OLT do not deteriorate over the long term. Work accidents correlated significantly with poorer functional outcome. Any associated instability must always be treated. Malleolar osteotomy provides good exposure without additional morbidity. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV; retrospective study.

Osteochondral lesion of the talus: What are we talking about?

INTRODUCTION: The analysis of osteochondral lesions of talus (OLT) is currently mostly descriptive, not permitting an understanding of the different nosological frameworks of these lesions. Better knowledge of the characteristics of patients with OLT should make it possible to optimize the surgical indications and anticipate the associated lesions, which should not be overlooked. The main objective of this study was, therefore, to assess the characteristics of patients with OLT, and to analyze the lesions encountered. HYPOTHESIS: OLTs correspond to variable entities responding to specific treatments. MATERIAL AND METHOD: This was a prospective multicenter descriptive study including all patients operated on for an OLT, aged between 15 and 65 years, across 10 French specialist centers. The demographic, clinical and radiological data of the patients were analyzed. RESULTS: OLTs predominantly affect males and patients in their thirties. Two types of OLT should be distinguished: a lateral OLT; smaller and more superficial, most often presenting with painful instability, in the context of trauma, and a medial OLT; more frequent, wider and deeper. DISCUSSION: Two nosological frameworks exist for OLTs, and correspond to precise surgical indications: medial lesions of more than 10mm2 and more than 5mm in depth, with isolated anteromedial pain and significant functional impairment, most often idiopathic, generally requiring treatment by osteochondral autografts. Lateral lesions less than 5mm in depth and less than 10mm2, often superficial, following trauma or ankle laxity, associated with lateral ligament damage in one-third of cases, and a clinical presentation associated to instability and pain, requiring treatment most often by microfracture with associated ligament repair. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III.

Safety of malleolar osteotomies in surgery for osteochondral lesions of the talus.

The talus is a central bone in the hindfoot that is difficult to access surgically. Performing a medial or lateral malleolar osteotomy in the management of an osteochondral lesion of the talus (OLT) is a feared procedure amongst surgeons and their patients. The objective of this study was to assess the complications inherent to malleolar osteotomies in the treatment of OLTs. HYPOTHESIS: The use of a standardized protocol concerning the technical performance and osteosynthesis of malleolar osteotomies results in fewer postoperative complications than a non-standardized protocol. MATERIALS AND METHOD: This is a comparative study comprising a prospective multicenter non-randomized series with a standardized protocol for performing malleolar osteotomies, and a multicenter retrospective series without a standardized protocol. We included all patients aged 16 to 65 years with symptomatic OLTs, resistant to more than 6-months of well-conducted medical treatment, for whom surgery was considered. The minimum follow-up was 1 year for the prospective study, and 5 years for the retrospective study. A total of 86 and 97 patients were included in the prospective and retrospective studies, respectively. Of these 183 patients, 86 patients (33 prospective and 53 retrospective) underwent medial or lateral malleolar osteotomies as part of their surgery for OLT. Complications specific to the osteotomy procedures such as scar tissue, surgical site infection, non-union, articular malunion, neurological lesions or surgical revision, were investigated. RESULTS: No specific complication was found to be associated to the malleolar osteotomy. No surgical revision was directly linked to the osteotomy procedure. No significant difference was found between the two series. DISCUSSION: There was no evidence of morbidity related specifically to medial or lateral malleolar osteotomies. A standardized protocol, subject to rigorous technical implementation, does not improve results after malleolar osteotomy. The fear associated with this malleolar osteotomy procedure seems unfounded. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

Proposal of a new CT arthrographic classification system of osteochondral lesions of the talus.

BACKGROUND: Surgical treatment of osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLT) is warranted if medical treatments fail, achieving good results in around 85% of cases. Numerous classification systems, based on all possible imaging modalities (radiography, MRI, CT scan, scintigraphy, and CT arthrography), have been proposed to guide surgical treatments, but none has proven to be superior. A recent study demonstrated the prognostic value of CT arthrography by accurately describing the subchondral bone plate. A systematic review of the literature has brought new criteria to predict good outcome following bone marrow stimulation surgical techniques: lesions should measure less than 1 centimeter in size and 5 millimeters in depth. Based on these data, we are proposing a new simple, 3-stage CT arthrographic classification system of OLT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After a brief overview of the classification, 60 CT-arthrographies of ankles with OLT were organized according to this new CT arthrographic classification system by four surgeons (two juniors and two seniors). Two imaging assessments were performed one month apart. Statistical analysis was performed using the Fleiss' kappa coefficient to determine the inter- and intraobserver agreement. RESULTS: An excellent inter- and intraobserver agreement was found with overall Fleiss' kappa coefficients of 0.897 and 0.847, respectively. CONCLUSION: The results of our study showed an excellent inter- and intraobserver agreement for this new CT arthrographic classification system of OLT. The principal advantage of this new classification system, based on the latest data in the literature, is its ability to easily distinguish lesions that are more amenable to bone marrow stimulation techniques. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II.

Arthroscopic treatment of chronic ankle instability: Prospective study of outcomes in 286 patients.

BACKGROUND: Chronic ankle instability (CAI) is the main complication of ankle sprains and requires surgery if non-operative treatment fails. Surgical ankle stabilisation techniques can be roughly classified into two groups, namely, repair involving retensioning and suturing of the anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) and calcaneofibular ligament (CFL) and reconstruction using a tendon graft. Arthroscopic repair and reconstruction techniques for CAI have been introduced recently. The objective of this prospective multicentre study was to assess the feasibility, morbidity, and short-term outcomes of these arthroscopic ankle-stabilisation techniques. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Consecutive patients scheduled for arthroscopic treatment of CAI were included prospectively. Of the 286 included patients, 115 underwent ligament repair and 171 ligament reconstruction. Mean follow-up was 9.6 months (range, 6-43 months). We recorded the AOFAS and Karlsson scores, patient satisfaction, complications, and time to return to sports. RESULTS: The overall patient satisfaction score was 8.5/10. The AOFAS and Karlsson scores improved significantly between the pre- and postoperative assessments, from 62.1 to 89.2 and from 55 to 87.1, respectively. These scores were not significantly different between the groups treated by repair and by reconstruction. Neurological complications occurred in 10% of patients and consisted chiefly in transient dysesthesia (with neuroma in 3.5% of patients). Cutaneous or infectious complications requiring surgical revision developed in 4.2% of patients. DISCUSSION: Arthroscopic treatment is becoming a method of choice for patients with CAI, as it allows a comprehensive assessment of the ligament lesions, the detection and treatment of associated lesions, and repair or reconstruction of the damaged ligaments. These simple, reliable, and reproducible arthroscopic techniques seem as effective as conventional surgical techniques. The rate of cutaneous complications is at least halved compared to open surgery. CONCLUSION: Arthroscopic ankle stabilisation repair and reconstruction techniques hold considerable promise but require further evaluation to better determine the indications of repair versus reconstruction and to obtain information on long-term outcomes.

Agreement between arthroscopic and imaging study findings in chronic anterior talo-fibular ligament injuries.

BACKGROUND: Imaging studies done to evaluate chronic ankle instability (CAI) often fail to accurately detail injuries to the anterior talo-fibular ligament (ATFL) and may, therefore, also fail to provide guidance for selecting the most appropriate surgical procedure. Arthroscopy is now an indispensable tool for accurately diagnosing ATFL injuries. This study looked at agreement between arthroscopy and imaging study assessments of ATFL injuries. The primary objective was to adapt an arthroscopic classification of chronic ATFL lesions to the pre-operative imaging study findings in order to estimate the performance of computed tomography (CT)-arthrography, ultrasonography, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in diagnosing ATFL lesions, using arthroscopy as the reference standard. HYPOTHESIS: Agreement between arthroscopic and imaging findings of chronic ATFL injuries can be assessed by using a shared classification developed from the arthroscopic evaluation, used as the reference standard. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A prospective multicentre study was conducted in 286 patients with arthroscopically-treated CAI. In each patient, the arthroscopic assessment of the ATFL was compared to the pre-operative findings by CT-arthrography, ultrasonography, and MRI. A classification of ATFL lesions based on the arthroscopic assessment was used to analyse the imaging studies. Using this classification, two independent observers compared the findings and evaluated the agreement between arthroscopy and imaging studies. RESULTS: Of the 286 patients, 157 had complete information on the arthroscopic assessment and on pre-operative imaging studies and were included in the analysis. Imaging studies were CT-arthrography in 49 patients, ultrasonography in 63 patients, and MRI in 45 patients; both ultrasonography and MRI were performed in 3 patients. Agreement with arthroscopy was 82% and 88.5% for CT-arthrography, 66.7% and 76.2% for ultrasonography, 70.5% and 79.5% for MRI, and 73.4% and 81.2% for all imaging studies pooled. DISCUSSION: Arthroscopy plays a crucial role in the definitive assessment of ligament lesions in patients with CAI, as it supplies far more accurate information than any of the current imaging studies and, in addition, provides a dynamic evaluation of the ligaments and assesses mechanical strength. In the study population, a simple arthroscopic evaluation consistently visualised ATFL lesions, thereby either correcting or confirming the pre-operative imaging study findings. Importantly, the arthroscopic assessment provided more accurate information on the lesions and quality of the ATFL compared to the imaging studies. Arthroscopy has improved our knowledge of chronic ATFL lesions and allowed the development of a simple but accurate four-grade classification of direct relevance to choosing the optimal therapeutic procedure. This classification must be disseminated among radiologists to improve the diagnostic performance of pre-operative imaging studies, assist surgeons in selecting the most appropriate ankle-stabilising procedure, and improve patient information. Further studies are needed to confirm the promising results reported here and the usefulness of this common arthroscopy and imaging-study classification for chronic ATFL lesions. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II.

Arthroscopic classification of chronic anterior talo-fibular ligament lesions in chronic ankle instability.

BACKGROUND: The surgical treatment of chronic ankle instability (CAI) relies chiefly on anterior talo-fibular ligament (ATFL) repair (with or without augmentation) or anatomical reconstruction with a tendon graft. Arthroscopy enables not only a complete assessment and the same-stage treatment of concomitant articular lesions, but also an accurate assessment of ligament lesions. Pre-operative imaging studies (MRI, CT, US) may fail to provide sufficient detail about chronic ATFL lesions to guide the decision between repair and reconstruction. The aim of this study was to develop an arthroscopic classification of chronic ATFL lesions designed to assist in selecting the optimal surgical technique. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sixty-nine anterior ankle arthroscopy videos recorded before surgery for CAI were studied retrospectively. ATFL dissection was performed in all patients. Based on the video analysis, five ATFL grades were identified: 0, normal ATFL thickness and tension; 1, ATFL distension with normal thickness; 2, ATFL avulsion with normal thickness; 3, thin ATFL with no resistance during the hook test; and 4, no ATFL, with a bald malleolus. Intra- and interobserver reproducibility of the arthroscopic classification of chronic ATFL lesions was evaluated by computing the kappa coefficients (κ) after assessment by two independent observers. RESULTS: All 69 ATFLs were classified as abnormal (none was grade 0). Each ATFL could be matched to a grade. Intra-observer agreement was good for both observers: κ was 0.67 with 75% of agreement for one observer and 0.68 with 76% of agreement for the other observer. Inter-observer agreement was fair to good, with κ values ranging from 0.59 to 0.88 and agreement from 70% to 91%. DISCUSSION: Arthroscopic ATFL dissection is a simple procedure that provides a highly accurate assessment of ATFL lesions and mechanical resistance, focussing chiefly on the superior ATFL. Grade 1 and 2 lesions can be repaired using the Broström-Gould procedure, whereas grade 3 and 4 lesions require anatomic reconstruction with grafting. CONCLUSION: This arthroscopic classification of chronic ATFL lesions confirms the diagnostic role for arthroscopy in assessing the ligaments in patients with CAI. It is helpful for determining the best surgical technique for stabilising the ankle. These results must be confirmed in a larger study.