When taking a step back is a veritable leap forward. Reversing decades of arthroscopy for managing joint pain: five reasons that could explain declining rates of common arthroscopic surgeries

Application of arthroscopic system in the treatment of lactational breast abscess

Purpose

Optimal treatment of breast abscesses has been controversial. Herein, we report an innovative method for the operative treatment of lactational mammary abscesses.

Methods

Nineteen lactating patients diagnosed with breast abscesses were enrolled in the study, and abscess debridement and drainage were performed using an arthroscopic system. The clinical characteristics of the patients were recorded to evaluate the feasibility, efficacy, and cosmetic results of arthroscopic surgery for breast abscesses.

Results

All 19 patients were cured and did not relapse within the 6-month-follow-up period. One patient stopped breastfeeding due to breast leakage. All patients were satisfied with the postoperative appearance of the breast.

Conclusion

Arthroscopic debridement and drainage are effective treatment methods for lactational breast abscesses, with a high cure rate, few complications, and satisfactory cosmetic outcomes.

Anatomical description and short-term follow up clinical results for ultrasound-guided injection of medial collateral ligament bursa: New conservative treatment option for symptomatic degenerative medial meniscus tear

BACKGROUND

In this study, we investigated newly developed ultrasound (US)-guided medial collateral ligament (MCL) bursa injection as a conservative therapy for symptomatic degenerative medial meniscal (MM) tears. We aimed to describe the anatomical target and precise technique of this injection, confirm its accuracy using fresh cadaveric knees, and then evaluate preliminary clinical outcomes.

METHODS

Anatomical studies were performed on three fresh cadavers. For the clinical study, 50 patients with medial knee joint pain without knee osteoarthritis were treated with US-guided MCL bursa injection. Severity of pain was assessed pre-injection, and 1 week and 4 weeks post-injection using a 0-10 numerical rating scale (NRS). Clinical success was defined as a full return to daily activities. All patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) within 1 week of the first injection. Patients who underwent surgery within 12 months of the first injection were investigated as clinically unsuccessful cases, and MRI and arthroscopic findings were examined.

RESULTS

Compared with pre-injection (6.8 ± 1.2), the average NRS score was significantly lower at 1 week (1.8 ± 2.0) and at 4 weeks (1.5 ± 1.7) post-injection (both P < 0.01). The primary clinical success rate was 76.0%, and injection-related adverse events were not observed. Nine patients underwent surgery (arthroscopic surgery for degenerative flap tear (n = 7) and high tibial osteotomy for medial meniscus posterior root tear and proximal tibial malalignment (n = 2)).

CONCLUSIONS

US-guided MCL bursa injection is safe, reproducible, and effective for symptomatic MM degenerative tears. However, US-guided injections of the MCL bursa may be ineffective for flap tears and posterior root tears.

Editorial Commentary: Surgical Management of Degenerative Meniscus Lesions Is a Second- But Not a First-Line Treatment

The 20-year progression of osteoarthritis (OA) after arthroscopic partial meniscectomy (APM) in patients aged between 50 and 70 bears a long-term risk of conversion to total knee arthroplasty of 15.7%. Negative predictors at the time of surgery are the degree of knee OA, lateral meniscectomy, age at surgery, and malalignment. This confirms the evolution of the natural history of knee OA, but most importantly, it provides arguments to further restrain indications of APM in degenerative meniscus lesions (DMLs). An improved understanding of the consequences of APM for DMLs allows to increasingly limit the indications of this procedure, thus rendering it pertinent and efficient. Over the last years, the numbers of APM have been declining in several countries. This reduction required many surgeons to undergo a paradigm shift. This change cannot be induced by an anathema but by educational programs and guidelines based on broad consensus of the surgical communities, like the 2016 European Meniscus Consensus Project initiated by the European Society of Sports Traumatology, Knee Surgery and Arthroscopy (ESSKA). It provided a reference frame for the management of DMLs, based both on scientific literature and balanced expert opinion. The proposed decisional algorithm introduced APM not as a first- but as a second-line treatment of DMLs in symptomatic patients. A recent survey presented earlier this month at the international conference "The Meniscus" among ESSKA members showed that a majority of the 460 respondents were familiar with the ESSKA consensus and that 66% of them changed their practice following its publication. Paradigm changes take time. The history of meniscus repair showed that it takes many years to develop medical and surgical practice. And there is a good reason for this. Paradigms are not fashionable that come and go with the seasons. The medical and orthopaedic communities need to get them right by improving clinical science and balancing discussions.