Two-year outcome with the AperFix system for ACL reconstruction

Journey around the Notch: A Systematic Review on the History of ACL Reconstruction in the United States

The evolution of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery, seemingly circular at times, informs and provides context for past and current controversies in ACL management. The purpose of this systematic review is to objectively summarize the historical course of ACL reconstruction and repair in the United States over the last 40 years. Femoral tunnel drilling and graft selection have evolved dramatically over the last few decades. An initial focus on restoring ACL anatomy was for a period sacrificed for decreased operative morbidity. However, recent developments in operative techniques aim to restore ACL anatomy while also achieving minimal operative morbidity. Despite this historically iterative process, there remains no perfect choice for the treatment of ACL tears. Continued research on ACL repair, anatomic graft placement, graft choice, and augmentation will help our patients over the next generation.

Complication rates following all-epiphyseal ACL reconstructions in skeletally immature patients: A retrospective case series study

The aim was to evaluate the safety of a physeal-sparing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction technique (ACLR), performed with Orthopediatrics (Warsaw, IN) equipment, by assessing complications.Skeletally immature patients who underwent all-epiphyseal ACLR between 2015 and 2017 with postoperative follow-up were included in this retrospective study. Complications, demographic, clinical, surgical, and imaging data was retrieved from an urban tertiary pediatric hospital database. Physeal status, limb-length discrepancies (LLD), and angular deformities were assessed on preoperative and postoperative radiographs, growth disturbances were reported, and initial and follow-up diameters of tunnels were compared.Nineteen ACLRs were included from 18 patients, 4 females and 14 males, with bone age at surgery of 13.3 ± 1.0 years. At a mean follow-up of 19.2 ± 10.1 months, there were no symptomatic growth disorders requiring intervention. There were: 2 (11.1%) unilateral early physeal closures, 2 (10.5%) new angular deformities (5°-10°), 4 (22.2%) LLD (1-2 cm), 1 (5.6%) contralateral ACLR, 1 (5.6%) femoral screw removal, 2 (10.5%) graft ruptures, and 1 meniscal tear (5.3%). Mean tunnel widening was 1.7 mm and 1.5 mm on the femoral and tibial side, respectively, and no massive osteolysis was recorded at the polyetheretherketone implant site.The complication rates were comparable to those in similar studies, with no growth-related complications at 19.2 months.

No Difference in Outcomes Between Suspensory (Fixed-Loop Cortical Button) Versus Expandable Anteromedial Femoral Fixation in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction With Autologous Hamstring Tendons: A Prospective, Randomized, Controlled Study in Male Patients

Purpose

To compare anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) autograft reconstruction using fixed-looped suspensory versus expandable femoral fixation through the anteromedial portal.

Methods

After we performed prospective power analysis and obtained institutional review board, 70 patients with ACL rupture were block randomized to the expandable or suspensory femoral fixation group (35 in each group). All patients received autologous hamstring autograft through the anteromedial portal and fixed with a sheath-screw system in the tibia. The primary outcome measures were anteroposterior knee stability at 2 years’ follow-up measured using the KT-1000 arthrometer and the degree of femoral and tibial tunnels’ widening measured by the use of computed tomography imaging performed immediately postoperative and 12 months postsurgery. Secondary outcome measures included pain score on a visual analog scale, the subjective International Knee Documentation Committee 2000 assessment form, the Lysholm score, and the Tegner activity scale at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months.

Results

Twenty-four patients were excluded from further analysis, leaving a total of 48 patients (24 in each group) for the final evaluation. The anteroposterior knee stability (KT-1000) showed no difference between groups at 24 months’ follow-up (P = .31). The percentile widening (%) of femoral and tibial tunnel at 1-year follow-up showed no difference also, except for greater values at the tibial coronal point T2 (P = .065) and tibial sagittal point T1 (P = .033) in the group of cortical buttons. Secondary clinical outcomes showed no statistical differences between groups at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months’ postoperatively. Numerical pain scale (visual analog scale) was similar in both groups except for postoperative day 7, where the AperFix group showed better results (P = .014). There were no major intraoperative and late postoperative complications in any of the groups.

Conclusions

Our results showed no significant differences in knee anteroposterior stability, tunnel enlargement or other clinical outcomes comparing expandable versus cortical button fixation in anteromedial hamstrings ACL reconstruction.

Level of Evidence

Level II, randomized controlled trial.

The Patient Acceptable Symptomatic State in Primary Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: Predictors of Achievement

PURPOSE

To identify thresholds for patient acceptable symptomatic state (PASS) achievement in a cohort of primary anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) recipients, and to identify factors predictive of PASS achievement.

METHODS

A prospective clinical registry was queried for primary ACLR patients from January 2014 to April 2017 with serial patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) completion at 6, 12, and 24 months. Exclusion criteria included significant concomitant procedures. Knee-based PROMs included the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score and Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) subscores. PASS threshold values were calculated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves with area under the curve (AUC) analysis. A stepwise multivariate regression identified preoperative and operative predictors of PASS achievement.

RESULTS

A total of 144 primary ACLR patients (30.86 ± 12.78 years, body mass index 25.51 ± 4.64, 41.0% male) were included in the analysis. PASS threshold values were established using ROC curve analysis, all of which exceeded 0.7 on AUC analysis (0.742 to 0.911). Factors impacting odds of PASS achievement in the ACLR cohort included preoperative exercises (odds ratio [OR] 2.95 to 4.74, P = .003 to .038), worker's compensation status (OR 0.25 to 0.28, P = .014 to .033), preoperative scores (OR 1.03 to 1.07, P = .005 to <.001), iliotibial band tenodesis (OR 11.08, P = .010), and anteromedial approach (OR 18.03 to 37.05, P < .001).

CONCLUSION

Factors predictive of PASS achievement in recipients of primary ACLR include functional status (e.g., preoperative exercise, preoperative KOOS Sport/Recreation score), worker's compensation status, technique (e.g., anteromedial) and preoperative PROMs. The results of our study are important in better informing shared decision-making models and improving evidence-based guidelines to optimize patient outcomes.

Left-Biased Clavicle Length Asymmetry in Children and Young Adults 12 to 25 Years Old

Management of clavicle fractures depends in part on the magnitude of shortening compared with the contralateral, intact clavicle. However, estimating prefracture length may be complicated by side-to-side asymmetry. The authors retrospectively reviewed chest radiographs using a ruler tool to measure clavicle length in 696 patients 12 to 25 years old. Absolute and relative least significant change values that represented statistically significant true biological differences were 3.54 mm and 2.44%, respectively. Length differences in which the left was greater than the right or the right was greater than the left exceeding the absolute least significant change were found in 35.2% of males and 39.8% of females. Length differences exceeding 5 mm and 10 mm were 19% and 2.6% in males and 22.6% and 0.9% in females, respectively. There was a statistically significant left bias in length difference, with a 2.1-fold and a 1.6-fold greater chance of the left being longer than the right (although usually <5 mm in actual length) in males and females, respectively. The authors concluded that small but significant left-biased length asymmetry prevailed in both sexes. Differences exceeding 10 mm were rare. Contralateral clavicles can be used to estimate prefracture length of presenting fractures with the understanding that small left-right length discrepancy is common. [Orthopedics. 2018; 41(1):e104-e109.].

Return to Play and Patient Satisfaction After ACL Reconstruction: Study with Minimum 2-Year Follow-up

BACKGROUND

Return to play and patient satisfaction after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) have been inconsistently studied. The purposes of this study were to (1) investigate rates and predictors of return to play after ACLR, (2) evaluate patient satisfaction after ACLR, and (3) analyze the relationship between return to play and satisfaction with the result of ACLR.

METHODS

Eligible patients were active athletes included in an institutional ACL registry who had undergone ACLR and had been followed for a minimum of 2 years. A questionnaire was administered to elicit information regarding factors associated with return to play, sports performance, reinjury, and overall patient satisfaction. The Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare return to play with patient satisfaction. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify demographic, sports, and clinical factors associated with return to play.

RESULTS

Two hundred and thirty-two patients with a mean age of 26.7 years (standard deviation [SD] = 12.5 years) who had been followed for a mean of 3.7 years were enrolled. Of 231 patients who responded to the return-to-play question, 201 (87.0%) had returned to play, at a mean of 10.1 months; of 175 athletes eligible to return to their prior level of competition, 89.1% had done so. Overall satisfaction was high: 85.4% were very satisfied with the outcome and 98.1% stated that they would have surgery again. Patients were more likely to respond "very satisfied" if they had returned to play (p < 0.001). Use of a patellar tendon autograft (odds ratio [OR] = 5.63, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.32 to 25.76) increased the chance of returning to play whereas playing soccer (OR = 0.23, 95% CI = 0.08 to 0.66) or lacrosse (OR = 0.24, 95% CI = 0.06 to 0.99) preoperatively decreased the likelihood of returning to play.

CONCLUSIONS

The rates of return to play and patient satisfaction are high after ACLR in active athletes. The use of patellar tendon autograft increased the likelihood of returning to play whereas preinjury participation in soccer and lacrosse decreased these odds. Additionally, patients who returned to play were more likely to be very satisfied with the result of the ACLR.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Comparison of Anteromedial and Transtibial ACL Reconstruction Using Expandable Fixation

The influence of anatomical or nonanatomical femoral tunnel position on tunnel widening and clinical outcomes in patients undergoing anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is not fully understood. This retrospective study examined the influence of tunnel width and placement on anterior knee stability and clinical outcomes after ACL reconstruction using the AperFix System (Cayenne Medical Inc, Scottsdale, Arizona), a direct expandable fixation technique with autologous hamstring grafts. The records of 80 patients (79 men and 1 woman) who underwent ACL reconstruction were evaluated. In 38 patients, anatomical femoral tunnel placement was performed via an accessory medial portal (anteromedial group); in the remaining 42 patients, the femoral tunnel was positioned nonanatomically using a transtibial technique (transtibial group). Mean follow-up was 40.7 months (range, 27-60 months). Postoperative knee kinetics were measured, and clinical outcomes were assessed using International Knee Documentation Committee, Lysholm, and Tegner scores. Femoral tunnel widening was measured by comparing postoperative radiographs with final follow-up radiographs. Femoral tunnel width was significantly greater (P<.001) and anterior knee translation was significantly higher (P=.01) in the transtibial group. Lysholm and Tegner scores were not significantly different (P>.05) between the 2 groups. These findings suggest that femoral tunnel widening is associated with increased anterior joint laxity when a direct fixation technique is used for ACL reconstruction, particularly in nonanatomically positioned femoral tunnels. Anatomical femoral tunnel placement provides better anterior stability and less tunnel widening than transtibial tunnel placement; however, these benefits did not produce a detectable advantage in clinical outcomes measures. [Orthopedics. 2017; 40(3):e532-e537.].

How Are We Measuring Patient Satisfaction After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction?

BACKGROUND

Reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of the most common orthopaedic operations in the United States. The long-term impact of ACL reconstruction is controversial, however, as longer term data have failed to demonstrate that ACL reconstruction helps alter the natural history of early onset osteoarthritis that occurs after ACL injury. There is significant interest in evaluating the value of ACL reconstruction surgeries.

PURPOSE

To examine the quality of patient satisfaction reporting after ACL reconstruction surgery.

STUDY DESIGN

Systematic review; Level of evidence, 4.

METHODS

A systematic review of the MEDLINE database was performed using the PubMed interface. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines as well as the PRISMA checklist were employed. The initial search yielded 267 studies. The inclusion criteria were: English language, US patient population, clinical outcome study of ACL reconstruction surgery, and reporting of patient satisfaction included in the study. Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale.

RESULTS

A total of 22 studies met the inclusion criteria. These studies comprised a total of 1984 patients with a mean age of 31.9 years at the time of surgery and a mean follow-up period of 59.3 months. The majority of studies were evidence level 4 (n = 18; 81.8%), had a mean Newcastle-Ottawa scale score of 5.5, and were published before 2006 (n = 17; 77.3%); 5 studies (22.7%) failed to clearly describe their method for determining patient satisfaction. The most commonly used method for assessing satisfaction was a 0 to 10 satisfaction scale (n = 11; 50.0%). Among studies using a 0 to 10 scale, mean satisfaction ranged from 7.4 to 10.0. Patient-reported outcome and objective functional measures for ACL stability and knee function were positively correlated with patient satisfaction. Degenerative knee change was negatively correlated with satisfaction.

CONCLUSION

The level of evidence for studies reporting patient satisfaction is low, and the methodologies for reporting patient satisfaction are variable. Additionally, within the past decade there has been a significant decline in the inclusion of this outcome measure within published ACL studies. As sports surgeons are increasingly called on to demonstrate the value of operative procedures, attention should be paid to understanding and reporting patient satisfaction.

Outcome of transtibial AperFix system in anterior cruciate ligament injuries

BACKGROUND

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of the major stabilizing factor of the knee that resist anterior translation, valgus and varus forces. ACL is the most commonly ruptured ligament of the knee. The graft fixation to bone is considered to be the weakest link of the reconstruction. According to the parallel forces to the tibial drill hole and the quality of tibial metaphyseal bone is inferior to femoral bone stock, graft fixation to the tibia is more difficult to secure. AperFix system (Cayenne Medical, Inc., Scottsdale, Arizona, USA) which consists femoral and tibial component that includes bioinert polymer polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is one of the new choice for ACL reconstruction surgery. aim of this study was to assess the clinical outcomes and fixation durability of the AperFix (Cayenne Madical, Inc., Scottsdale, Arizona, USA) system and to determine the effect of patient's age in arthroscopic reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Patients with symptomatic anterior cruciate ligament rupture underwent arthroscopic reconstruction. Patients were evaluated in terms of range of motion (ROM) values; Lysholm, Cincinati and Tegner activity scales; laxity testing and complications. Femoral tunnel widening was assessed by computer tomography scans. Early postoperative and last followup radiographs were compared.

RESULTS

Fifty one patients were evaluated with mean followup of 29 months (range 25-34 months). Mean age at the surgery was 26.5 ± 7.2 years. Lysholm, Cincinati and Tegner activity scales were significantly higher from preoperative scores (Lysholm scores: Preoperative: 51.4 ± 17.2, postoperative: 88.6 ± 7.7 [P < 0.001]; Tegner activity scores: Preoperative 3.3 ± 1.38, postoperative: 5.3 ± 1.6 [P < 0.001]; Cincinati scores: Preoperative: 44.3 ± 17, postoperative: 81.3 ± 13.9 [P < 0.001]). The mean femoral tunnel diameter increased significantly from 9.94 ± 0.79 mm postoperatively to 10.79 ± 0.95 mm (P < 0.05). The mean ROM deficit (involved vs. contra knee) was -7.2 ± 16 (P < 0.001). There was no significant difference for knee score, ROM deficits (<30 years: -7.3 ± 15 and >30 years -7.06 ± 19) and femoral tunnel enlargement (<30 years: 0.83 ± 0.52 and >30 years 0.87 ± 0.43) of the patients with below and above 30 year. There was no significant difference for knee scores and femoral tunnel enlargement between patients with meniscal injuries and don't have meniscus lesions.

CONCLUSION

The AperFix system gives satisfactory clinical and radiological results with low complication rate. However, long term clinical and radiological results are needed to decide the ideal anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction method.

Transtibial versus anteromedial portal anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using soft-tissue graft and expandable fixation

PURPOSE

To compare clinical outcomes between transtibial drilling and anteromedial portal techniques for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction using soft-tissue grafts secured with expandable fixation.

METHODS

Patients undergoing soft-tissue ACL reconstruction using expandable fixation between 2007 and 2011 were reviewed for inclusion in this study. Revision ACL cases were excluded. All surgeries were performed by 1 of 2 sports medicine fellowship-trained surgeons (T.S.D., K.D.M.). A total of 128 patients (67 comprising transtibial cohort and 61 comprising anteromedial portal cohort) had a minimum of 24 months' follow-up (mean, 27 months) and met the inclusion criteria. The patients were divided into 2 groups based on the method used for creation of the femoral tunnel. At final follow-up, outcomes were assessed with KT-1000 (MEDmetric, San Diego, CA) measurements, as well as International Knee Documentation Committee, Lysholm, and Tegner scores. Data were screened for normality and skew before use of parametric statistics and were transformed if necessary. Data were analyzed by 1-way analysis of variance with post hoc paired comparisons using the Bonferroni approximation.

RESULTS

No differences in demographic characteristics were observed between the 2 groups. There was no significant difference in postoperative KT-1000 measurements between the 2 cohorts (1.571 ± 0.2275 mm in transtibial cohort [n = 35] and 1.246 ± 0.09249 mm in anteromedial cohort [n = 61], P = .1259). A significant improvement in International Knee Documentation Committee scores was observed in the anteromedial cohort, increasing from 41 ± 16 to 89 ± 7.4 (mean ± SD) (P < .0001). Similar changes were observed for the Lysholm score. There was no significant difference between cohorts for any postoperative scores measured (P > .2).

CONCLUSIONS

Our data show comparable KT-1000 measurements for both anteromedial and transtibial femoral drilling techniques when using a soft-tissue graft with expandable fixation.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level IV, therapeutic case series.