Purpose To (1) evaluate long-term outcomes of osteochondral allograft (OCA) with regard to clinical outcome scores, reoperation and failure rates, and (2) examine if certain factors predispose ...patients to worse outcomes. Methods A comprehensive review was performed with specific inclusion criteria for studies with long-term outcomes after OCA. Studies reported on patient clinical scores such as Hospital for Special Surgery score, Knee Society Score (knee and function score), and Lysholm score. Reoperation and failure rates were recorded for each study. Modified Coleman Methodology Scores assessed study methodological quality. Results Five studies with a total of 291 patients (55% male, 45% female) and average age of 34.8 years (range, 15 to 69 years) were included. Of all lesions, 67% were on the femoral condyles, 29% on the tibial plateau, and 4% were patellofemoral. All scores (Knee Society Function Score, Knee Society Knee Score, and Lysholm score) have significant mean improvement from preoperative to final follow-up. The mean postoperative Hospital for Special Surgery score was 84.1. The mean failure rate was 25% at 12.3 years with a reoperation rate of 36%. A total of 72% of the failures were conversion to total (68%) or unicompartmental (4%) knee arthroplasty and 28% involved graft removal, graft fixation, and graft revision. Patellofemoral lesions (83%) had a significantly higher reoperation rate than lesions involving the tibial plateau or the femoral condyles (34%, P = .01). Conclusions Overall, OCA demonstrated significant improvements in clinical outcome scores and good durability with successful outcomes in 75% of the patients at 12.3 years after surgery. Patellofemoral lesions are associated with decreased clinical improvement and more frequent reoperations. The orthopaedic literature is limited by heterogeneity in surgical technique, lesion and patient characteristics, and reporting of nonstandardized outcome measures. Level of Evidence Level IV, systematic review of Level II and IV studies.
Purpose To evaluate (1) activity level and knee function, (2) reoperation and failure rates, and (3) risk factors for reoperation and failure of osteochondral autograft transfer (OAT) at minimum ...long-term follow-up. Methods A comprehensive review was performed for long-term outcomes after OAT. Studies reported on activity-based outcomes (Tegner Activity Scale) and clinical outcomes (Lysholm score and International Knee Documentation Committee score). Reoperation and failure rates, as defined by the publishing authors, were recorded for each study. Modified Coleman Methodology Scores were calculated to assess study methodological quality. Results Ten studies with a total of 610 patients with an average age of 27.0 years at the time of surgery and a mean follow-up of 10.2 years were included. The mean defect size was 2.6 cm2 (range, 0.9 to 20.0 cm2 ). The mean duration of symptoms before surgery was 4.8 years. From preoperative to final follow-up, International Knee Documentation Committee scores and Lysholm scores improved significantly by 42.4 (95% confidence interval CI, 31.8 to 53.1, P < .001) and 21.1 (95% CI, 12.2 to 30.0, P < .01), respectively. Tegner score did not improve significantly (0.76, 95% CI, −0.83 to 2.36, P = .35). Overall failure rate was 28% and reoperation rate was 19%. Increased age, previous surgery, and defect size positively correlated with increased risk of failure. Concomitant surgical procedures negatively correlated with failure rate. Conclusions Overall, OAT showed successful outcomes in 72% of patients at long-term follow-up. Increased age, previous surgery, and defect size correlated positively with failure rate, whereas success improved with concomitant surgical procedures. Nonetheless, this systematic review is limited by heterogeneity in a surgical technique, lesion and patient characteristics, and reporting of nonstandardized outcome measures. Level of Evidence Level IV, systematic review of Level I-IV studies.
Background:
There are limited data comparing the outcomes of similarly matched patients with a medial meniscus posterior root tear (MMPRT) treated with nonoperative management, partial meniscectomy, ...or repair.
Purpose/Hypothesis:
The purpose was to compare treatment failure, clinical outcome scores, and radiographic findings for a matched cohort of patients who underwent either nonoperative management, partial meniscectomy, or transtibial pull-through repair for an MMPRT. We hypothesized that patients who underwent meniscus root repair will have lower rates of progression to arthroplasty than patients who were treated with nonoperative management or partial meniscectomy.
Study Design:
Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.
Methods:
Patients who underwent transtibial medial meniscus posterior horn root repair were matched by meniscal laterality, age, sex, and Kellgren-Lawrence (K-L) grades to patients treated nonoperatively or with a partial meniscectomy. Progression to arthroplasty rates, International Knee Documentation Committee and Tegner scores, and radiographic outcomes were analyzed between groups.
Results:
Forty-five patients were included in this study (15 nonoperative, 15 partial meniscectomy, 15 root repair). Progression to arthroplasty demonstrated significant differences among treatment groups at a mean of 74 months (nonoperative, 4/15; partial meniscectomy, 9/15; meniscal repair, 0/15; P = .0003). The meniscus root repair group had significantly less arthritic progression, as measured by change in K-L grade from pre- to postoperatively (nonoperative, 1.0; partial meniscectomy, 1.1; meniscal repair, 0.1; P = .001).
Conclusion:
Meniscus root repair leads to significantly less arthritis progression and subsequent knee arthroplasty compared with nonoperative management and partial meniscectomy in a matched cohort based on patient characteristics.
Background:
Medial meniscus root tears are a common knee injury and can lead to accelerated osteoarthritis, which might ultimately result in a total knee replacement.
Purpose:
To compare meniscus ...repair, meniscectomy, and nonoperative treatment approaches among middle-aged patients in terms of osteoarthritis development, total knee replacement rates (clinical effectiveness), and cost-effectiveness.
Study Design:
Meta-analysis and cost-effectiveness analysis.
Methods:
A systematic literature search was conducted. Progression to osteoarthritis was pooled and meta-analyzed. A Markov model projected strategy-specific costs and disutilities in a cohort of 55-year-old patients presenting with a meniscus root tear without osteoarthritis at baseline. Failure rates of repair and meniscectomy procedures and disutilities associated with osteoarthritis, total knee replacement, and revision total knee replacement were accounted for. Utilities, costs, and event rates were based on literature and public databases. Analyses considered a time frame between 5 years and lifetime and explored the effects of parameter uncertainty.
Results:
Over 10 years, meniscus repair, meniscectomy, and nonoperative treatment led to 53.0%, 99.3%, and 95.1% rates of osteoarthritis and 33.5%, 51.5%, and 45.5% rates of total knee replacement, respectively. Meta-analysis confirmed lower osteoarthritis and total knee replacement rates for meniscus repair versus meniscectomy and nonoperative treatment. Discounted 10-year costs were $22,590 for meniscus repair, as opposed to $31,528 and $25,006 for meniscectomy and nonoperative treatment, respectively; projected quality-adjusted life years were 6.892, 6.533, and 6.693, respectively, yielding meniscus repair to be an economically dominant strategy. Repair was either cost-effective or dominant when compared with meniscectomy and nonoperative treatment across a broad range of assumptions starting from 5 years after surgery.
Conclusion:
Repair of medial meniscus root tears, as compared with total meniscectomy and nonsurgical treatment, leads to less osteoarthritis and is a cost-saving intervention. While small confirmatory randomized clinical head-to-head trials are warranted, the presented evidence seems to point relatively clearly toward adopting meniscus repair as the preferred initial intervention for medial meniscus root tears.
Purpose
Optimal surgical treatment of chondral defects in an athletic population remains highly controversial and has yet to be determined. The purpose of this review was to (1) report data on return ...to sport and (2) compare activity and functional outcome measures following various cartilage restoration techniques.
Methods
A comprehensive review was performed for studies with return-to-sport outcomes after microfracture (MFX), osteochondral autograft transfer (OAT), osteochondral allograft transplantation (OCA), and autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI). All studies containing return-to-sport participation with minimum 2-year post-operative activity-based outcomes were included. A meta-analysis comparing rate of return to sport between each surgical intervention was conducted using a random-effects model.
Results
Forty-four studies met inclusion criteria (18 Level I/II, 26 Level III/IV). In total, 2549 patients were included (1756 M, 793 F) with an average age of 35 years and follow-up of 47 months. Return to sport at some level was 76 % overall, with highest rates of return after OAT (93 %), followed by OCA (88 %), ACI (82 %), and MFX (58 %). Osteochondral autograft transfer showed the fastest return to sports (5.2 ± 1.8 months) compared to 9.1 ± 2.2 months for MFX, 9.6 ± 3.0 months for OCA and 11.8 ± 3.8 months for ACI (
P
< 0.001). A meta-regression was conducted due to heterogeneity in preoperative factors such as patient age, lesion size, and preoperative Tegner score. None of these factors were found to be significant determinants for rate of return to sport.
Conclusion
In conclusion, in this meta-analysis of 2549 athletes, cartilage restoration surgery had a 76 % return to sport at mid-term follow-up. Osteochondral autograft transfer offered a faster recovery and appeared to have a higher rate of return to preinjury athletics, but heterogeneity in lesion size, athlete age, and concomitant surgical procedures are important factors to consider when assessing individual athletes. This study reports on the rate of return to sport in athletes undergoing various procedures for symptomatic chondral defects.
Level of evidence
IV.
Cartilage injuries in the knee are common and can occur in isolation or in combination with limb malalignment, meniscus, ligament, and bone deficiencies. Each of these problems must be addressed to ...achieve a successful outcome for any cartilage restoration procedure. If nonsurgical management fails, surgical treatment is largely based on the size and location of the cartilage defect. Preservation of the patient's native cartilage is preferred if an osteochondral fragment can be salvaged. Chondroplasty and osteochondral autograft transfer are typically used to treat small (<2 cm) cartilage defects. Microfracture has not been shown to be superior to chondroplasty alone and has potential adverse effects, including cyst and intralesional osteophyte formation. Osteochondral allograft transfer and matrix-induced autologous chondrocyte implantation are often used for larger cartilage defects. Particulated juvenile allograft cartilage is another treatment option for cartilage lesions that has good to excellent short-term results but long-term outcomes are lacking.
Clinical recognition and surgical treatment of patellofemoral instability has evolved dramatically over the past 3 decades. However, few patellofemoral patients present with an isolated medial ...patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) tear. Rather, patients often demonstrate patella alta, increased tibial tubercle to trochlear groove (TT-TG) distance, dysplasia, coronal malalignment, or combinations thereof. Given this, concomitant procedures such as tibial tubercle osteotomy (TTO) have become increasingly popularized, given their ability to anteriorize, medialize, and even distalize the patella to correct tracking. It is generally recommended that concurrent TTO be considered with primary medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction (MPFLR) in patients with closed physes whose TT-TG distance is larger than 17 to 20 mm. MPFLR + TTO is generally safe and may decrease risk of revision surgery when compared with isolated MPFLR in properly indicated patients. However, it important to measure both knee rotation angle and tibial tubercle lateralization on magnetic resonance imaging, as both factors influence TT-TG. In patients in whom abnormal knee rotation angle is felt to be the primary driver of TT-TG, surgeons should proceed with caution when considering concomitant TTO. The pen may be mightier than the sword, but the osteotome may be mightier yet than the scalpel.
Purpose The purpose of this prospective randomized study was to compare the outcomes of arthroscopic labral repair and selective labral debridement in female patients undergoing arthroscopy for the ...treatment of pincer-type or combined pincer- and cam-type femoroacetabular impingement. Methods Between June 2007 and June 2009, 36 female patients undergoing arthroscopic hip treatment for pincer- or combined-type femoroacetabular impingement were randomized to 2 treatment groups at the time of surgery: labral repair or labral debridement. The repair group comprised 18 patients with a mean age of 38; the debridement group comprised 18 patients with a mean age of 39. All patients underwent the same rehabilitation protocol postoperatively. At a minimum of 1 year, all patients were assessed using a validated Hip Outcome Score (HOS) to determine hip function, and also completed a simple subjective outcome measure. Results All 36 patients were available for follow-up at an average time of 32 months (range, 12 to 48). In both groups, HOSs for activities of daily living (ADL) and sports improved significantly from before surgery to the final follow-up ( P < .05). The postoperative ADL HOS was significantly better in the repair group (91.2; range, 73 to 100) compared with the debridement group (80.9; range, 42.6 to 100; P < .05). Similarly, the postoperative sports HOS was significantly greater in the repair group (88.7; range, 28.6 to 100) than in the debridement group (76.3; range, 28.6 to 100; P < .05). Additionally, patient subjective outcome was significantly better in the labral repair group ( P = .046). Conclusions Arthroscopic treatment of femoroacetabular impingement with labral repair in female patients resulted in superior improvement in hip functional outcomes compared with labral debridement. In addition, a greater number of patients in the repair group subjectively rated their hip function as normal or nearly normal after surgery compared with the labral debridement group. Level of Evidence Level I, prospective randomized study.
Background:
Previous studies have reported variable rates of recurrent lateral patellar instability mainly because of limited cohort sizes. In addition, there is currently a lack of information on ...contralateral patellar instability.
Purpose:
To evaluate the rate of recurrent ipsilateral patellar dislocations and contralateral patellar dislocations after a first-time lateral patellar dislocation. Additionally, risk factors associated with recurrent dislocations (ipsilateral or contralateral) and time to recurrence were investigated.
Study Design:
Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.
Methods:
This population-based study included 584 patients with a first-time lateral patellar dislocation occurring between 1990 and 2010. A retrospective review was conducted to gather information about the injury, subsequent dislocations (ipsilateral or contralateral), and structural characteristics including trochlear dysplasia, patella alta, and tibial tubercle to trochlear groove (TT-TG) distance. Risk factors were assessed to delineate associations with subsequent dislocations and time to recurrence.
Results:
At a mean follow-up of 12.4 years, 173 patients had ipsilateral recurrence, and 25 patients had a subsequent contralateral dislocation. At 20 years, the cumulative incidence of ipsilateral recurrence was 36.0%, while the cumulative incidence of contralateral dislocations was 5.4%. Trochlear dysplasia (odds ratio OR, 18.1), patella alta (OR, 10.4), age <18 years at the time of the first dislocation (OR, 2.4), elevated TT-TG distance (OR, 2.1), and female sex (OR, 1.5) were associated with recurrent ipsilateral dislocations. Time to recurrence was significantly decreased in patients with trochlear dysplasia (23.0 months earlier time to recurrence; P < .001), elevated TT-TG distance (18.5 months; P < .001), patella alta (16.4 months; P = .001), and age <18 years at the time of the first dislocation (15.4 months; P < .001). Risk factors for subsequent contralateral dislocations included patella alta and trochlear dysplasia.
Conclusion:
At 20 years after a first-time lateral patellar dislocation, the cumulative incidence of recurrent ipsilateral patellar dislocations was 36.0%, compared with 5.4% for contralateral dislocations. Trochlear dysplasia, elevated TT-TG distance, patella alta, age <18 years at the time of the first dislocation, and female sex were associated with ipsilateral recurrence. Trochlear dysplasia, elevated TT-TG distance, patella alta, and age <18 years at the time of the first dislocation were predictive of a statistically significant decrease in time to recurrence.
Chondrolabral dysfunction in the hip is becoming increasingly recognized in clinical practice as a source of pain and dysfunction in young patients. In a short period of time, there have been ...substantial advances in the treatment of hip labral tears. Over the past 15 years, the field of hip medicine has rapidly moved from open labral resection to minimally invasive arthroscopic labral preservation techniques with repair and reconstruction. A new method of hip labral preservation, labral augmentation, provides the next advance in treating appropriately selected patients with chondrolabral dysfunction.