Minimally Invasive Quadricepsplasty

Minimally Invasive Quadricepsplasty Using the Adolphson-Cerqueira Technique: A Retrospective Study after 1-Year of Follow-up

Aim

Knee stiffness limits activities of daily living with treatment having no gold standard technique currently. We present follow-up data 1-year after quadricepsplasty using the Adolphson-Cerqueira technique for the treatment of knee stiffness in a Brazilian population sample.

Materials and methods

This retrospective study included patients who underwent a quadricepsplasty using the Adolphson-Cerqueira technique between January 2006 and March 2023 at our institution. The inclusion criteria were: (1) Knee stiffness with a range of motion <70°; (2) Patellar excursion ≥2 mm on physical examination; (3) Available knee radiography in the anteroposterior and lateral views; and (4) A follow-up at 1 year postoperatively. The Judet Classification was used to assess the outcome of the quadricepsplasty.

Results

Sixty-seven patients were included. The results were 6% poor, 31.3% fair, 44.8% good, and 17.9% excellent according to the Judet Classification. A correlation was observed between age and the gain in range of motion at the 1-year postoperative follow-up, and between the gain in range of motion intraoperatively and that at the 1-year follow-up. There were five cases of complications (7.46%): one of patellar fracture, three of quadriceps tendon rupture, and one of avulsion fracture in the superior pole of the patella.

Conclusion

Quadricepsplasty using the Adolphson-Cerqueira technique produced satisfactory results overall for improving knee joint stiffness and had a complication rate comparable with other currently used techniques.

Clinical significance

Loss of knee range of motion remains a difficult problem without there being a clear gold standard in treatment. Many different options are described in the literature. We provide a further option with follow-up results.

How to cite this article

Cerqueira FS, Silva L, Kropf LL, et al. Minimally Invasive Quadricepsplasty Using the Adolphson-Cerqueira Technique: A Retrospective Study after 1-Year of Follow-up. Strategies Trauma Limb Reconstr 2024;19(2):87-93.

Extreme stiff knee recurvatum following manipulation under anesthesia and botulinum neurotoxin injection

In this article we report a case of stiff, neglected extreme recurvatum knee deformity in a 17-year-old female. This is the first reported case in the literature of an acquired ligamentous stiff extreme knee recurvatum following manipulation under anesthesia and botulinum neurotoxin injection. Μodified Judet quadricepsplasty combined with Ilizarov external hinged frame fixation was implemented. This dual technique can be considered as a rational approach for such an extreme deformity as it stabilizes, progressively corrects, and prevents recurrence. A patellar tendon rupture caused by the increasing tension of the extensor mechanism following the correction was treated successfully using a cadaveric Achilles tendon allograft.

Quadriceps strength and knee joint function in patients with severe knee extension contracture following arthroscopic-assisted mini-incision quadricepsplasty

PURPOSE

To evaluate reserve quadriceps function and improve knee activity in patients with severe knee extension contracture following arthroscopic-assisted mini-incision quadricepsplasty as well as post-operative complications.

METHODS

From 2012 to 2019, 32 patients with severe knee extension contractures (less than 45° range of flexion) were treated with an all-arthroscopic release technique. The clinical results, including range of motion (ROM), quadriceps function (quadriceps index, QI), and knee function, were evaluated, and MRI of the healed tendon after partial quadricepsplasty was performed. The patellar track and length during knee flexion were measured on three normal knees under fluoroscopy. Three formalin-fixed lower limbs were used to mimic severely contracted quadriceps to evaluate the extension of the patellar track.

RESULTS

The median follow-up time was 2.1 years (1-5 years). The average QI was 92.0 ± 6.2, and the quadriceps muscle strength was increased from 3.28 to 4.72. At the final follow-up, 90% of the patients had no difficulty going upstairs, going downstairs, or rising from a chair. The ROM improved by 25.69 ± 3.6 preoperatively to 105.88 ± 6.6 at the final follow-up (P < 0.001). The open surgery showed that a 2-cm extension could be achieved by partly cutting the quadriceps tendon, and two cuts achieved a total extension of 5.2 ± 0.52 cm. The patellar tracking distance was 7.7 ± 0.43 cm, and the gap between the patella and femur was also reduced.

CONCLUSION

Partial quadricepsplasty of the rectus femoris extended the contracted quadriceps and maintained quadriceps strength, allowing for full knee flexion and satisfactory clinical outcomes of knee function with few complications.

[Effect of three-dimensional printing-assisted minimally invasive plate osteosynthesis on anti-malrotation for different types of tibial fractures]

OBJECTIVE

To compare the postoperative tibial malrotation between traditional minimally invasive plate osteosynthesis (MIPO) and three-dimensional printing-assisted MIPO (3D-MIPO) for different types of tibial fractures, and explore the change of these differences.

METHODS

A prospective randomized controlled trial was conducted. The 120 patients with unilateral tibial fracture who met the selection criteria between January 2016 and October 2018 (40 patients in each of AO types A, B, and C) into the trial group (20 patients, 3D-MIPO) and the control group (20 patients, traditional MIPO) at ratio of 1∶1. There was no significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05) in gender, age, fracture site, and other general information. The bilateral tibial rotation angles were measured on the CT images within 1 week after operation, and the difference of tibial rotation angle between affected and unaffected sides was calculated. The tibial malrotation was defined when the difference exceeded 10°. The degree of tibial rotation and the incidence of malrotation between the two groups in different types of tibial fractures were compared.

RESULTS

Postoperative infection occurred in 1 case, and improved after the dressing change and anti-inflammatory treatment. No complications such as loosening and displacement of internal fixation occurred. There was no significant difference in the difference of bilateral tibial rotation angles between the two groups in type A fractures after operation (t=0.559, P=0.580); while in types B and C fractures, the differences of bilateral tibial rotation angles in control group were significantly higher than those in trial group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in distribution of internal or external rotation between the two groups in types A, B, and C fractures (P>0.05). No malrotation occurred in type A fractures, and there was no significant difference in the incidence of malrotation between the two groups in type B fractures (P=1.000). The incidence of malrotation in control group was significantly higher than that in trial group in type C fractures (P=0.044).

CONCLUSION

3D-MIPO has the same anti-malrotation effect as traditional MIPO for type A tibial fracture, but for types B and C tibial fractures, the anti-malrotation effect of 3D-MIPO is significantly better than that of traditional MIPO. The more complex the fracture type is, the more significant this advantage is.