Stay Ipsilateral: An Analysis of Tibial Tunnel Distance Between Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction and Posterior Meniscal Root Repair

Posterior Lateral Meniscal Root Repair Through Lateral Tunnel and Anterior Cruciate Ligament Revision: How to Avoid Tunnel Overlapping

Posterior lateral meniscal root (PLMR) tears are commonly observed in conjunction with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. The presence of PLMR tears exacerbates knee instability, increasing stress on ACL grafts and accelerating joint degeneration if left untreated. Anatomical repair of PLMR tears is therefore crucial for restoring native knee kinematics and reducing tibiofemoral contact pressures, thereby safeguarding the ACL graft. However, the standard use of a single medial tunnel approach for concomitant PLMR and revision ACL reconstruction may require reconsideration to prevent the potential risks of tunnel overlapping, which could undermine graft anatomical integrity. This article, to prevent the risk of tunnel overlapping, introduces a surgical approach that employs an additional lateral tibial tunnel for PLMR repair, instead of the typically used single medial one, for PLMR repair during simultaneous revision ACL reconstruction.

Acute Bilateral Posterior Meniscal Root Tears in the Setting of a Noncontact Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rupture

Combined medial and lateral posterior meniscal root tears in the setting of an acute anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture are extremely rare. The following case report demonstrates a high school football player who sustained a noncontact knee injury while performing a spin move at practice. The patient is a 17-year-old high school football defensive end who was presented to the clinic 1 week following the injury complaining of persistent knee pain with associated swelling, limited range of motion (ROM), and complaint of instability. During physical examination, the patient was found to have anterior cruciate laxity. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated a complete midsubstance tear of the ACL and increased signal within the posterior horn of the medial meniscus with no obvious signs of pathology localized to the lateral meniscus. ACL reconstruction (ACLR) was performed and intraoperatively, both medial and lateral root tears were found. A standard bone patellar-tendon bone (BTB) autograft ACLR was performed with combined medial and lateral root repair utilizing a transtibial pull-out method for both. The clinical importance is root tears with associated ACL tears can be hard to diagnose on preoperative MRI, especially laterally, so careful assessment of both meniscal roots at the time of arthroscopy is critical. Furthermore, careful creation of the needed root repair tunnels for transtibial repair is critical to avoid coalescence with the ACL tibial tunnel.

A Convergent Tibial Tunnel Technique for Concomitant Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction and Meniscal Root Repair

Modern arthroscopic knee-reconstruction techniques involve the use of multiple bone tunnels and fixation devices to restore the anatomy and stability of the knee after traumatic injury. In these injuries, however, tunnel collision can be problematic, especially when combining anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with meniscal root repairs or multiligament reconstructions. We describe a multiple tibial tunnel technique to allow fixation of both anterior cruciate ligament graft and meniscal roots through convergence to a single tibial cortical aperture.

Meniscus tears treatment: The good, the bad and the ugly-patterns classification and practical guide

Over the years, several studies demonstrated the crucial role of knee menisci in joint biomechanics. As a result, save the meniscus has become the new imperative nowadays, and more and more studies addressed this topic. The huge amount of data on this topic may create confusion in those who want to approach this surgery. The aim of this review is to provide a practical guide for treatment of meniscus tears, including an overview of technical aspects, outcomes in the literature and personal tips. Taking inspiration from a famous movie directed by Sergio Leone in 1966, the authors classified meniscus tears in three categories: The good, the bad and the ugly lesions. The inclusion in each group was determined by the lesion pattern, its biomechanical effects on knee joint, the technical challenge, and prognosis. This classification is not intended to substitute the currently proposed classifications on meniscus tears but aims at offering a reader-friendly narrative review of an otherwise difficult topic. Furthermore, the authors provide a concise premise to deal with some aspects of menisci phylogeny, anatomy and biomechanics.

Shared ACL Bone Tunnel Technique for Repair of Lateral Meniscus Posterior Root Tears Combined With ACL Reconstruction

Background

Independent transtibial pullout repair is a common surgical technique for repairing lateral meniscus posterior root tears (LMPRTs). The shared anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) bone tunnel technique is an alternative technique for LMPRT repair combined with ACL reconstruction (ACLR) to avoid the establishment of additional bone tunnels.

Purpose

To compare the clinical outcomes of the shared ACL bone tunnel versus the independent transtibial pullout techniques for LMPRT repair combined with ACLR.

Study Design

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods

Between March 2014 and February 2018, a total of 48 patients were diagnosed with ACL injury with concomitant LMPRT; 22 patients underwent independent transtibial pullout repair (group T), and 26 patients underwent the shared ACL bone tunnel technique (group S). At a follow-up of >2 years, we compared knee functional recovery using the Lysholm, Tegner, and International Knee Documentation Committee scores and the pivot-shift test. Lateral meniscal extrusion, and cartilage degeneration on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were also compared. The healing status of the lateral meniscus posterior root was compared using second-look arthroscopy and MRI.

Results

The duration of surgery was significantly shorter in group S compared with group T (98.3 ± 11.1 vs 127.9 ± 17.5 min; P = .001). At final follow-up, there were no significant differences between the 2 groups in knee functional scores, pivot shift, or grade of cartilage degeneration. Lateral meniscal extrusion was decreased in group S compared with group T (2.41 ± 0.61 vs 1.59 ± 1.35 mm; P = .014). Second-look arthroscopy revealed stable healing in 16 of 18 patients (88.9%) in group S and 10 of 15 patients (66.7%) in group T (P = .38).

Conclusion

Both the shared ACL bone tunnel and the independent transtibial pullout techniques led to satisfactory clinical outcomes. The shared ACL bone tunnel technique is the simpler of the 2 procedures for combined LMPRT repair with ACLR.

Optimal Tibial Tunnel Placement for Medial and Lateral Meniscus Root Repair on the Anteromedial Tibia in the Setting of Anterior and Posterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction of the Knee

BACKGROUND

Although the risk of tibial tunnel convergence in the setting of multiligamentous reconstruction has been reported in the literature, the risk of tunnel convergence in the setting of posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction and medial and lateral meniscus root repair has not been defined.

PURPOSE

To examine the risk of tunnel convergence and to determine optimal tunnel placement for ACL and PCL reconstruction performed in conjunction with posterior medial and lateral meniscus root repairs on the anteromedial proximal tibia.

STUDY DESIGN

Descriptive laboratory study.

METHODS

Three-dimensional (3D) tibial models were created using computed tomography scans of 20 cadaveric specimens. After determining optimal tunnel entry and exit points for ACL and PCL reconstructions, and medial and lateral meniscus root reattachment to the anatomic footprints, we used image processing software to create root tunnels over the anteromedial tibia on the tibial models. ACL and PCL tunnels were kept constant. The meniscus root repair tunnels were then reoriented to match the angle of the ACL tunnel, making both tunnels parallel in the sagittal plane. Tunnel convergence risk was analyzed by identifying the shortest 3D distance between tunnel axes and subtracting the radius of each tunnel from this distance for single- and double-tunnel repair techniques in both case scenarios.

RESULTS

All specimens demonstrated convergence between the ACL and lateral meniscus root tunnels when the root tunnel's entry was created proximal to the ACL tunnel's entry for single- and double-tunnel techniques, but no convergence was seen between these tunnels using the parallel orientation in the sagittal plane. There were no cases of convergence between the ACL and medial meniscus root tunnels in any of the configurations. The greatest distance between the ACL and medial meniscus root tunnels was achieved using the single-tunnel technique in parallel orientation (12.1 ± 2.8 mm). There were no cases of convergence between the PCL and medial meniscus root tunnels in the original orientation; however, 2 of 20 specimens demonstrated convergence using the parallel orientation with the double-tunnel technique, and there were no cases of convergence using the single-tunnel technique. The PCL and lateral meniscus root tunnels did not demonstrate convergence in any configuration.

CONCLUSION

There was a high risk of convergence between ACL and posterior meniscus root tunnels when all the tunnels were created on the anteromedial tibia. Reorienting meniscus root tunnels parallel to ACL tunnels may help reduce this risk. There is increased risk of tunnel convergence with root repairs in cases of bicruciate reconstructions, and therefore a double-tunnel root repair technique should be used with caution.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

To avoid tibial tunnel convergence when performing ACL and PCL reconstruction with medial and lateral meniscus root repair, surgeons should reorient the meniscus root repair tunnels to be parallel on the sagittal plane to the ACL tunnel to decrease the risk of convergence. In cases of bicruciate ligament reconstruction, use of the double-tunnel technique requires caution to avoid convergence risk with the PCL tunnel.