Project description:Historically, the treatment of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries shifted from primary repair to reconstruction because the native, intrasynovial location of the ACL precluded the formation of a fibrin-rich clot needed for ligament healing. However, increasing attention has been paid to augmenting the biological environment surrounding the ACL to facilitate its healing after arthroscopic repair. The bridge-enhanced ACL restoration implant uses resorbable collagen mixed with autologous blood to provide a biological scaffold for tissue healing. The short-term results of this procedure are promising, showing noninferiority to traditional ACL reconstruction at 2 years postoperatively and a higher rate of return to sport at 6 months. Our technique for performing the bridge-enhanced ACL repair is efficient, is easy to learn, and achieves excellent fixation of the ACL stump augmented with an internal brace.
Project description:Few cases of tibial spine avulsion injuries occur in adolescents. An open or arthroscopic surgical approach is indicated for displaced and nonreducible fractures, but evidence for a gold standard is insufficient. Various arthroscopic techniques are available. Suture fixation is popular and shows good results. The proposed technique is a modified suture-bridge fixation using 2 high-strength sutures tied through 2 transosseous tunnels. This simple and low-cost technique avoids the potential complications of hardware fixation within a joint. It represents an arthroscopic treatment option for anterior cruciate ligament tibial avulsion injuries.
Project description:BackgroundBridge-enhanced anterior cruciate ligament restoration (BEAR) combines suture repair of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) with an extracellular matrix implant plus autologous blood to facilitate native ACL healing.Purpose/hypothesisThe purpose of this study was to compare the 6-year follow-up outcomes of patients who underwent the BEAR procedure with those of a nonrandomized concurrent control group receiving autograft ACL reconstruction (ACLR) in the first-in-human safety study of the BEAR implant (BEAR I trial). Based on the 2-year results, it was hypothesized that isometric hamstring strength after the BEAR procedure would be greater than that after ACLR and that there would be no other differences in outcomes at 6 years.Study designCohort study, Level of evidence, 2.MethodsTen patients underwent BEAR and 10 received ACLR with a 4-stranded hamstring autograft. Outcomes assessed included the record of subsequent surgeries, the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) Subjective Knee Score, IKDC physical examination grade, the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score, instrumented knee laxity, functional outcomes (ie, muscle strength assessments and hop testing), and qualitative magnetic resonance imaging assessment. Comparisons between treatments were based on computations of the mean differences and the associated 95% CIs.ResultsOne patient in the BEAR group and 3 patients in the ACLR group were lost to follow-up. In the period between 2 and 6 years, 1 patient in each group underwent revision surgery. There were no differences between groups at the 6-year follow-up in any of the outcome measures except for isometric hamstring strength, which was approximately equal to that of the contralateral knee in the BEAR group and <44% of that in the contralateral knee in the ACLR group (P < .01).ConclusionThis preliminary study suggests that the outcomes of BEAR and ACLR with a hamstring tendon graft may be similar at the 6-year follow-up and warrants investigation of the BEAR procedure in a larger cohort of patients.
Project description:The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is the most common ligamentous knee injury and often is encountered in those participating in multidirectional sports. ACL reconstruction is the most commonly performed knee ligament reconstruction and employs a variety of surgical techniques but still is challenged by residual laxity and graft rupture. To help address and prevent future ACL failures, new repair and reconstruction techniques have been employed that incorporate suture augmentation (InternalBrace; Arthrex, Naples, FL), which protects the graft during healing and ligamentization. Our goal of this article is to provide a surgical technique of suture augmentation with ACL reconstruction.
Project description:It was in the early 1900s that anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) repair was first described with its resurgence in the mid-1900s. It however failed to gain popularity because of unsatisfactory early outcomes as a result of poorly selected patients. We describe a suture pullout technique of acute ACL repair in a carefully selected cohort of patients. Healing capabilities similar to that of the proximal medial collateral ligament have been shown in the proximal ACL avulsions. Adding microfracture of the lateral wall of the notch further enhances the healing environment by countering the synovial fluid environment. Acute ACL repair when performed in a carefully selected patient leads to good results and saves the patient of a reconstruction procedure.
Project description:This technical note outlines a minimalist arthroscopic approach to anterior cruciate ligament avulsion fracture fixation using a bioabsorbable knotless suture anchor. This method represents a less invasive alternative to traditional techniques, catering specifically to fractures classified as Meyers and McKeever type II or III. The procedure is performed through standard anterolateral and anteromedial portals without the need for additional incisions or bone tunnel drilling, making it particularly suitable for children and adolescent patients with open physes. The technique involves the use of a suture hook to pass a double-stranded suture through the anterior cruciate ligament, anchored eccentrically to the anterior tibial incline with a knotless suture anchor. This approach allows for anatomic reduction with adjustable tension and without the potential risk of iatrogenic osteochondral injury. Nonetheless, it should be acknowledged that prospective biomechanical studies and larger patient samples are necessary to validate this technique compared with existing fixation methods.
Project description:The anterior cruciate ligament suture augmentation technique is a method to augment anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) with autologous hamstring tendons using a braided ultrahigh-molecular weight polyester or polyethylene suture or suture tape and fixed on both the femoral and tibial sides independent of the graft to act as a backup or secondary stabilizer until complete integration and ligamentization of the graft take place. The technique is proposed to allow early rehabilitation and return to sports after ACLR and may be advantageous in patients with a high body mass index and in cases with small grafts (7 or 7.5 mm in diameter). In such situations the technique is supposed to decrease the risk of reinjury, as well as the degree of postoperative lengthening or stretching of the graft, in the early postoperative avascular phase. We describe graft preparation with the internal suture augmentation technique in arthroscopic ACLR using a cortical button system on the femoral side and a Bio-Interference Screw (Arthrex, Naples, FL) on the tibial side.
Project description:Suture tape augmentation for repair and in combination with reconstruction with grafts has been described for multiple procedures. To date, no description of a patellar tendon graft anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with an augmented graft has been published. This Technical Note details a technique we developed to incorporate a cross-linked suture tape into a patellar tendon graft.
Project description:Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is a significant cause of injury among pediatric patients with an increasing incidence. ACL insufficiency can lead to lifelong disability as further joint deterioration occurs in the form of meniscal and subsequently chondral pathology. Techniques for pediatric ACL reconstruction can broadly be classified as physeal-sparing and non-physeal-sparing. Bone age is frequently used when deciding which technique to employ. Patients are candidates for physeal-sparing, over-the-top iliotibial band reconstruction (i.e., modified MacIntosh II) when they have >4 years remaining before skeletal maturity. The modified Macintosh procedure provides both intra- and extra-articular rotational and translational constraint. This Technical Note describes the senior author's modified MacIntosh technique using knotless all-suture anchor fixation in a suture staple technique to mitigate risk of physeal damage.
Project description:Suture button-based femoral cortical suspension constructs of anterior cruciate ligament grafts can facilitate a fast and secure fixation. However, there are several case reports showing button malpositioning resulting from the inability to visualize the "flipped" button. Many current surgical techniques do not allow direct visualization of EndoButtons (Smith & Nephew, Andover, MA) in their final position, making it difficult to ensure that both buttons are fully flipped and that there is no soft-tissue interposition between the button and femur. We describe an arthroscopic technique for making femoral tunnels through the outside-in method that reduces the migration of the EndoButton through a lateral femoral portal. This technique may assist surgeons in understanding how to deal with and potentially avoid EndoButton migration during anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.