ObjectiveTo investigate the effectiveness of autogenous tendon reconstruction under total arthroscopy in the treatment of chronic Achilles tendon rupture.MethodsBetween June 2015 and June 2018, 16 patients with chronic Achilles tendon ruptures were treated by autogenous tendon reconstruction under total arthroscopy. Of the 16 patients, 11 were males and 5 were females. Their mean age was 40.7 years (range, 21-55 years). The disease duration was 14-20 months (mean, 16.4 months). Preoperative American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) score was 41.2±2.2 and the pain visual analogue scale (VAS) score was 7.9±1.2. MRI and B-ultrasonography examinations showed that the Achilles tendon was not continuous. The length of Achilles tendon defect was 5.0-10.3 cm, with an average of 5.8 cm. The rupture of the Achilles tendon happened on top of the insertion of the tendon in 4 cases and at the tendon-muscle belly connection in 12 cases. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, hospital stay, and related complications were recorded. The AOFAS score and VAS score were used to evaluate the improvement of ankle joint function and pain.ResultsThe average operation time was 77.2 minutes (range, 60-90 minutes). The average intraoperative blood loss was 20.5 mL (range, 15-30 mL). The average hospital stay was 7.2 days (range, 5-10 days). All incisions healed by first intention. There was no skin necrosis, infection, or deep vein thrombosis. All the patients were followed up 8-18 months, with an average of 12 months; and 10 cases were followed up more than 12 months. During the follow-up, there was no Achilles tendon re-rupture, and the symptoms of pain and heel lifting failure significantly improved. MRI reexamination showed that the continuity of Achilles tendon recovered. At 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively, AOFAS scores significantly improved and VAS scores significantly reduced, except for 1 month postoperatively, the scores at other time points were superior to that before operation, the differences were significant (P<0.05).ConclusionAutogenous tendon reconstruction under total arthroscopy in the treatment of chronic Achilles tendon rupture has the advantages of small trauma, rapid functional recovery, and satisfactory surgical efficacy.
Objective To explore the long-term effectiveness of arthroscopic partial repair in treatment of massive irreparable rotator cuff tears from both the radiological and clinical perspectives. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 24 patients (25 sides) with massive irreparable rotator cuff tears who met the inclusion criteria between May 2006 and September 2014. Among them, there were 17 males (18 sides) and 7 females (7 sides) with an age range of 43-67 years (mean, 55.0 years). There were 23 cases of unilateral injury and 1 case of bilateral injuries. All patients were treated with the arthroscopic partial repair. The active range of motion of forward elevation and abduction, external rotation, and internal rotation, as well as the muscle strength for forward flexion and external rotation, were recorded before operation, at the first postoperative follow-up, and at last follow-up. The American Association of Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score, the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) shoulder scoring, and Constant score were used to evaluate shoulder joint function. And the visual analogue scale (VAS) score was used to evaluate shoulder joint pain. MRI examination was performed. The signal-to-noise quotient (SNQ) was measured above the anchor point near the footprint area (m area) and above the glenoid (g area) in the oblique coronal T2 fat suppression sequence. The atrophy of the supraspinatus muscle was evaluated using the tangent sign. The global fatty degeneration index (GFDI) was measured to assess fat infiltration in the supraspinatus muscle, infraspinatus muscle, teres minor muscle, upper and lower parts of the subscapularis muscle. The mean GFDI (GFDI-5) of 5 muscles was calculated. Results The incisions healed by first intention. All patients were followed up with the first follow-up time of 1.0-1.7 years (mean, 1.3 years) and the last follow-up time of 7-11 years (mean, 8.4 years). At last follow-up, the range of motion and muscle strength of forward elevation and abduction, ASES score, Constant score, UCLA score, and VAS score of the patients significantly improved when compared with those before operation (P<0.05). Compared with the first follow-up, except for a significant increase in ASES score (P<0.05), there was no significant difference in the other indicators (P>0.05). Compared with those before operation, the degree of supraspinatus muscle infiltration worsened at last follow-up (P<0.05), GFDI-5 increased significantly (P<0.05), and there was significant difference in the tangent sign (P<0.05); while there was no significant difference in the infiltration degree of infraspinatus muscle, teres minor muscle, and subscapularis muscle, upper and lower parts of the subscapularis muscle (P>0.05). Compared with the first follow-up, the SNQm and SNQg decreased significantly at last follow-up (P<0.05). At the first and last follow-up, there was no correlation between the SNQm and SNQg and the ASES score, Constant score, UCLA score, and VAS score of the shoulder (P>0.05). Conclusion Arthroscopic partial repair is effective in treating massive irreparable rotator cuff tear and significantly improves long-term shoulder joint function. For patients with severe preoperative fat infiltration involving a large number of tendons and poor quality of repairable tendons, it is suggested to consider other treatment methods.
ObjectiveTo investigate the effectiveness of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction with the autologous ipsilateral peroneus longus tendon (PLT) under arthroscopy.MethodsA retrospective study was conducted on 35 patients with ACL rupture who underwent ACL reconstruction with autologous ipsilateral PLT under arthroscopy between October 2017 and October 2018. There were 19 males and 16 females with an average age of 43.4 years (range, 18-60 years), with 20 cases of left knee and 15 cases of right knee. The causes of injury included traffic accident in 14 cases, falling injury in 13 cases, and sports injury in 8 cases. The time from injury to operation ranged from 3 to 9 days (mean, 4.7 days). The patients suffered from swelling, pain, and limited mobility of knee joint before operation. The anterior drawer test, Lachman test, and pivot-shift test were positive before operation, whereas MRI was taken to confirm the ACL rupture. After operation, the patients were followed up every 3 months until the knee joint’s function returned to normal. MRI and X-ray films were used to observe the tendon-bone healing as well as the position of Endobutton suspension plate and hollow nail. The anterior drawer test, Lachman test, and pivot-shift test were conducted to observe the improvement of knee joint mobility. The functional improvements were evaluated by the International Knee Documents Committee (IKDC) score, Lysholm score, knee injury and osteoarthritis (KOOS) score.ResultsAll the 35 patients were followed up 12-18 months, with an average of 14.2 months. The incisions healed by first intention, and no complications such as infection, joint stiffness, and rerupture occurred. Postoperative anterior drawer test, Lachman test, and pivot-shift test turned to be negative of all patients. MRI showed that the ACL was continuous, and the tendon-bone in the distal femur tunnel and proximal tibia tunnel recovered well after operation. X-ray films showed that the positions of Endobutton suspension plate and hollow nail were stable. The IKDC, Lysholm, and KOOS scores at 3, 6, and 12 months after operation were significantly improved when compared with those before operation, and the scores were further improved with time after operation (P<0.05).ConclusionFor patients with ACL rupture, ACL reconstruction with the autologous ipsilateral PLT under arthroscopy has satisfactory effectiveness of quick recovery, good function, and great stability.
Objective To testify the spatial relationship between the subscapularis muscle splitting window and the axillary nerve in modified arthroscopic Latarjet procedure, which could provide anatomical basis for the modification of the subscapularis muscle splitting. MethodsA total of 29 adult cadaveric shoulder specimens were dissected layer by layer, and the axillary nerve was finally confirmed to walk on the front surface of the subscapularis muscle. Keeping the shoulder joint in a neutral position, the Kirschner wire was passed through the subscapularis muscle from back to front at the 4 : 00 position of the right glenoid circle (7 : 00 position of the left glenoid circle), and the anterior exit point (point A, the point of splitting subscapularis muscle during Latarjet procedure) was recorded. The vertical and horizontal distances between point A and the axillary nerve were measured respectively. Results In the neutral position of the shoulder joint, the distance between the point A and the axillary nerve was 27.37 (19.80, 34.55) mm in the horizontal plane and 16.67 (12.85, 20.35) mm in the vertical plane. Conclusion In the neutral position of the shoulder joint, the possibility of axillary nerve injury will be relatively reduced when radiofrequency is taken from the 4 : 00 position of the right glenoid (7 : 00 position of the left glenoid circle), passing through the subscapularis muscle posteriorly and anteriorly and splitting outward.
Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of arthroscopic debridement and release for post-traumatic arthritis of subtalar joint. Methods Between January 2011 and December 2014, 14 cases of post-traumatic arthritis of the subtalar joint underwent arthroscopic debridement and release, and the clinical data were retrospectively analyzed. All patients were male, aged 42 years on average (range, 32-62 years). Calcaneus fracture was caused by falling from height; 8 cases received conservative treatment and the other 6 cases received open reduction and internal fixation. The mean interval from injury to operation was 3.4 years (range, 2-7 years). The arthroscopic debridement and release were performed through lateral portals. The injury degree of articular cartilage was classified as grade 3 in 4 cases and grade 4 in 10 cases based on Outerbridge rating. The degree of pain was assessed by visual analogue scale (VAS) and the function of joint was assessed by the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) Ankle Hindfoot Scale. Results All incisions healed by first intention and no complication occurred. The follow-up time was 18 months. Pain was relieved obviously; VAS was significantly decreased to postoperative 3.8±0.9 at 18 months from preoperative 7.7±1.2 (t=9.728,P=0.000), and AOFAS Ankle Hindfoot Scale was significantly increased to postoperative 59.1±8.8 from preoperative 37.6±8.2 (t=6.688,P=0.000). During follow-up, no patient was given arthrodesis and no worsened sign was found on the postoperative CT and MRI. Conclusion Arthroscopic debridement and release for post-traumatic arthritis of the subtalar joint can relieve clinical symptoms and delay subtalar arthrodesis.
ObjectiveTo summarize the mid-term effectiveness of arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction combined with meniscus allograft transplantation.MethodsA clinical data of 21 patients treated with arthroscopic ACL reconstruction and meniscus allograft transplantation and followed up more than 5 years between February 2007 and December 2014 was retrospectively analyzed. There were 12 males and 9 females, aged from 18 to 45 years, with an average age of 23.5 years. The cause of injury was sport sprain in 15 cases, falling in 4 cases, and traffic accident in 2 cases. The time from injury to operation ranged from 2 to 36 months, with an average of 12 months. Among them, 15 patients underwent previous meniscectomy, with an average interval of 1.6 years (range, 3 months to 6.5 years). All patients were primary ACL reconstruction. Preoperative anterior drawer test, Lachman test, and pivot shift test were positive. Lysholm score was 43.6±10.2. International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score was 60.50±14.06. Of the 21 patients, 10 were gradeⅠ-Ⅱcartilage injuries and 11 were grade Ⅲ cartilage injuries according to MRI. ResultsAll patients were followed up 5.1-7.8 years, with an average of 5.5 years. There were 2 cases of numbness of lower extremity, 3 cases of slight exudation of incision, 2 cases of articular movement bounce, 5 cases of mild joint swelling and pain after exercise. At last follow-up, Lachman tests were negative in 18 cases and positive in 3 cases; anterior drawer tests were negative in 19 cases and positive in 2 cases; pivot shift tests were negative in all cases. Lysholm score was 84.5±16.5 and IKDC score was 85.25±4.60, which were significantly higher than those before operation (P<0.01). The flexion and extension of the affected knee joint were (128±13) and (3±7)°, respectively, which were smaller than those of the healthy knee joint [(133±15), (0±5)°] (P<0.01). The results of KT-1000 test showed that when knee flexion was 30 and 90°, tibial anterior displacement of affected side [(2.35±1.20), (1.60±1.15) mm] were not significantly different from those of healthy side [(1.20±1.10), (1.10±1.03) mm] (P>0.01). MRI showed that the ACL graft was in normal position and meniscus survived well. Cartilage injuries were gradeⅠ-Ⅱ in 18 cases and grade Ⅲ in 3 cases. ConclusionFor patients with severe meniscus injury and ACL rupture, ACL reconstruction combined with meniscus allograft transplantation can restore the stability of the joint, recover the meniscus function which is conducive to the protection of articular cartilage and obtain satisfactory mid-term effectiveness.
Objective To summarize the biomechanical characteristics, diagnosis, and hip arthroscopic treatment of borderline developmental dysplasia of hip (BDDH) with Cam-type femoroacetabular impingement (Cam FAI). Methods The literature on BDDH with Cam FAI at home and abroad in recent years was extensively reviewed and analyzed. Results In patients with BDDH and Cam FAI, the femoral neck anteversion angle and femoral neck shaft angle increase, the pelvis tilts, and the acetabulum rotates, resulting in instability of the hip joint. In order to maintain the stability of the hip joint, the direction of biomechanical action of the hip joint has changed, which further affects the anatomical structures such as the proximal femur and acetabular morphology. BDDH with Cam FAI can be diagnosed clinically by combining lateral center edge angle, anterior center edge angle, and acetabular index. BDDH with Cam FAI can be effectively treated through arthroscopic polishing of the edges of the acetabular proliferative bone, excision of Cam malformations, and minimally invasive repair of the glenoid lip and cartilage of the hip joint. Conclusion Currently, there is no unified standard for the diagnosis and treatment of BDDH with Cam FAI. Minimally invasive treatment of the hip under arthroscopy can achieve good early- and medium-term effectiveness, and has certain advantages in repairing and maintaining the integrity of the glenoid lip and suturing/compression joint capsule. However, the long-term effectiveness needs to be further followed up to determine. The timing of surgery, intraoperative bone edge depth polishing, and joint capsule suturing/compression techniques also need to be further explored.
ObjectiveTo compare the early effectiveness of minimally invasive open reduction and internal fixation via posterior median approach versus arthroscopic double-tunnel suture fixation in treatment of tibial avulsion fracture of the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL).MethodsA clinical data of 31 patients with the tibial avulsion fracture of the PCL and met the criteria between January 2015 and January 2019 was retrospectively analyzed. Nineteen patients (group A) were treated with open reduction and internal fixation with cannulated screw via posterior median approach. The other 12 patients (group B) were treated with arthroscopic double-tunnel suture fixation technique. There was no significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05) in the gender, age, side of effected limb, the injury cause, the time from injury to operation, the combined meniscus injury, Meyers & McKeever classification and preoperative Lysholm score, Tegner score, International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score, and the difference of tibial posterior displacement between bilateral knees. The operation time, postoperative complications, fracture healing, and the difference of tibial posterior displacement between bilateral knees, Lysholm score, Tegner score, and IKDC score were recorded.ResultsGroup B spent significantly longer operation time than group A (t=7.347, P=0.000). No postoperative complication occurred in group B, and 1 patient in group A had a screw breakage. All patients were followed up 6-36 months (mean, 22 months). X-ray films showed that all fractures healed at 3 months after operation. At last follow-up, there was no significant difference in the patients with normal knee range of motion between the two groups (P=0.510). At last follow-up, the difference of tibial posterior displacement between bilateral knees, Lysholm score, Tegner score, and IKDC score in the two groups were superior to those before operation (P<0.05); while there was no significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05).ConclusionFor the tibial avulsion fracture of PCL, the minimally invasive open reduction and internal fixation and arthroscopic double-tunnel suture fixation can obtain similar early effectiveness. However, arthroscopic surgery has the advantages of being able to simultaneously deal with intra-articular combined injuries, avoiding internal fixator complications, and eliminating the need for secondary operation.
ObjectiveTo investigate early effectiveness of arthroscopic superior fulcrum reconstruction in the treatment of irreparable massive rotator cuff tear (IMRCT). Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 24 patients with IMRCT who met the inclusion criteria between January 2020 and April 2022. Among them, there were 11 males and 13 females with an average age of 56.2 years (range, 42-68 years). There were 12 cases of falling injuries, 3 cases of traction injuries, and the other 9 cases had no obvious causes. The disease duration ranged from 1 to 25 months (median, 6 months). The rotator cuff tears were classified as Hamada grade 2 in 18 cases and grade 3 in 6 cases, and Goutallier grade 1 in 3 cases, grade 2 in 20 cases, and grade 3 in 1 case. All patients were treated with arthroscopic superior fulcrum reconstruction. Visual analogue scale (VAS) score, Constant-Murley score, the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) score, and the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score were recorded before operation and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after operation. Results The operations were all successfully completed. The incisions healed by first intention and no related complications occurred. All patients were followed up 12-33 months (mean, 24.6 months). The VAS, Constant-Murley, UCLA, and ASES scores at different time points after operation were superior to those before operation (P<0.05). All of the above indicators further improved with time. Except for no significant difference in VAS and Constant-Murley scores between 6 and 12 months (P>0.05), the differences between the other time points were significant (P<0.05). At 12 months after operation, according to UCLA scoring standard, shoulder joint function was rated as excellent in 4 cases, good in 19 cases, and poor in 1 case, with an excellent and good rate of 96.0%. MRI showed that there was no graft re-tear and the transplanted tendon and bone tunnel healed. Conclusion The arthroscopic superior fulcrum reconstruction for IMRCT can effectively relieve the pain, improve the shoulder range of motion, and restore good shoulder function.
ObjectiveTo review the research progress of wrist arthroscopy assisted treatment of distal radius fractures.MethodsTo summarize and describe the anatomical characteristics and fracture classification of the distal radius, indications and contraindications of wrist arthroscopy-assisted treatment, surgical methods, and associated soft tissue injuries, and summarize the advantages and disadvantages of the operation through a large number of literature at home and abroad on the treatment of distal radius fractures assisted by wrist arthroscopy.ResultsWrist arthroscopy as a minimally invasive technique for the treatment of distal radius fractures, compared with traditional surgery, can accurately observe intra-articular damage and perform operations under the microscope to avoid secondary damage to blood vessels, nerve, and tendon, etc., and can achieve one-stage repair and reconstruction by repairing the ligament, trigonal fibrocartilage complex, and carpal dislocation. It has the advantages of less trauma, fast postoperative recovery, extensive indications, fewer complications, and satisfactory effectiveness.ConclusionWrist arthroscopy has advantages that traditional X-ray film, CT, MRI, and arthrography examinations do not have. Moreover, wrist arthroscopy has achieved satisfactory effectiveness in the adjuvant treatment of intra-articular distal radius fractures.