METHODS: A total of 137 patients with 212 consecutive knees who underwent TKAs with or without functional stepwise MNP of superficial medial collateral ligament was recruited in this prospective cohort. Eighty-one patients with 129 knees who performed serial stress radiographs were enrolled in the final assessment. Superficial medial collateral ligament was punctured selectively (anteriorly or posteriorly or both) and sequentially depending on the site and degree of tightness. Mediolateral stability was assessed using serial stress radiographs and comparison was performed between the MNP and the non-MNP groups at postoperative 6 months and 1 year. Clinical outcomes were also evaluated between 2 groups.
RESULTS: Fifty-five TKAs required additional stepwise MNP (anterior needling 19, posterior needling 3, both anterior and posterior needling 33). Preoperative hip-knee-ankle angle and the difference in varus-valgus stress angle showed significant difference between the MNP and the non-MNP groups, respectively (P = .009, P = .037). However, there was no significant difference when comparing the varus-valgus stress angle between the MNP and the non-MNP groups during serial assessment. Clinical outcomes including range of motion also showed no significant differences between the 2 groups.
CONCLUSION: Functional medial ligament balancing with stepwise MNP can provide sufficient medial release with safety in TKA with varus aligned knee without clinical deterioration or complication such as instability.
LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level II, Prospective cohort study.
HYPOTHESIS: Medial MAT would improve anteroposterior stability, and lateral MAT would improve rotational stability.
STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.
METHOD: We retrospectively investigated 31 cases of MAT after a previous total or nearly total meniscectomy and ACL reconstruction between November 2008 and June 2017. Cases were divided into medial (16 cases) and lateral (15 cases) MAT groups. The patients were assessed preoperatively and at the 2-year follow-up.
RESULTS: In the medial MAT group, the International Knee Documentation Committee, Lysholm, Lysholm instability, and Tegner scores improved significantly at the 2-year follow-up, and there were also significant improvements in the anterior drawer, Lachman, and pivot-shift tests. In the lateral MAT group, the Lysholm and Tegner scores improved significantly at the 2-year follow-up, as had the anterior drawer and Lachman tests but not the pivot-shift test. The medial MAT group showed significant improvement in side-to-side difference on Telos stress radiographs, from 6.5 mm (preoperatively) to 3.6 mm (2-year follow-up) (P = .001), while the lateral MAT group showed no significant change. There was no progression of arthritis in either group.
CONCLUSION: Medial MAT improved not only anteroposterior stability but also rotational stability in the meniscus-deficient ACL-reconstructed knee. Lateral MAT showed improvements in the anterior drawer and Lachman tests but not in the pivot-shift test or side-to-side difference on Telos stress radiographs in meniscus-deficient ACL-reconstructed knees. Instability and pain are indications for MAT in meniscus-deficient ACL-reconstructed knees.
METHODS: This is a dual-center randomized controlled trial (RCT). Sixty-nine patients aged 18 to 55 years with International Cartilage Repair Society grade 3 and 4 chondral lesions (size ≥3 cm2) of the knee joint were randomized equally into (1) a control group receiving intra-articular injections of HA plus physiotherapy and (2) an intervention group receiving arthroscopic subchondral drilling into chondral defects and postoperative intra-articular injections of PBSCs plus HA. The coprimary efficacy endpoints were subjective International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) and Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS)-pain subdomain measured at month 24. The secondary efficacy endpoints included all other KOOS subdomains, Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), and Magnetic Resonance Observation of Cartilage Repair Tissue (MOCART) scores.
RESULTS: At 24 months, the mean IKDC scores for the control and intervention groups were 48.1 and 65.6, respectively (P < .0001). The mean for KOOS-pain subdomain scores were 59.0 (control) and 86.0 (intervention) with P < .0001. All other KOOS subdomain, NRS, and MOCART scores were statistically significant (P < .0001) at month 24. Moreover, for the intervention group, 70.8% of patients had IKDC and KOOS-pain subdomain scores exceeding the minimal clinically important difference values, indicating clinical significance. There were no notable adverse events that were unexpected and related to the study drug or procedures.
CONCLUSIONS: Arthroscopic marrow stimulation with subchondral drilling into massive chondral defects of the knee joint followed by postoperative intra-articular injections of autologous PBSCs plus HA is safe and showed a significant improvement of clinical and radiologic scores compared with HA plus physiotherapy.
LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level I, RCT.
METHODS: Nine full-text articles in English that reported the clinical and radiological outcomes of KA TKA were included. Five studies had a control group of patients who underwent MA TKA. Data on patient demographics, clinical scores, and radiological results were extracted. There were two level I, one level II, three level III, and three level IV studies. Six of the nine studies used patient-specific instrumentation, one study used computer navigation, and two studies used manual instrumentation.
RESULTS: The clinical outcomes of KA TKA were comparable or superior to those of MA TKA with a minimum 2-year follow-up. Limb and knee alignment in KA TKA was similar to those in MA TKA, and component alignment showed slightly more varus in the tibial component and slightly more valgus in the femoral component. The JLOA in KA TKA was relatively parallel to the floor compared to that in the native knee and not oblique (medial side up and lateral side down) compared to that in MA TKA. The implant survivorship and complication rate of the KA TKA were similar to those of the MA TKA.
CONCLUSION: Similar or better clinical outcomes were produced by using a KA TKA at early-term follow-up and the component alignment differed from that of MA TKA. KA TKA seemed to restore function without catastrophic failure regardless of the alignment category up to midterm follow-up. The JLOA in KA TKA was relatively parallel to the floor similar to the native knee compared to that in MA TKA. The present review of nine published studies suggests that relatively new kinematic alignment is an acceptable and alternative alignment to mechanical alignment, which is better understood. Further validation of these findings requires more randomized clinical trials with longer follow-up.
LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level II.
METHODS: Search was performed using a MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane database, and each of the selected studies was evaluated for methodological quality using a risk of bias (ROB) covering 7 criteria. Clinical and radiological outcomes with more than 5 years of follow-up were evaluated after surgical treatment of DLM. They were analyzed according to the age, follow-up period, kind of surgery, DLM type, and alignment.
RESULTS: Eleven articles (422 DLM cases) were included in the final analysis. Among 7 criteria, 3 criteria showed little ROB in all studies. However, 4 criteria showed some ROB ("Yes" in 63.6% to 81.8%). The minimal follow-up period was 5.5 years (weighted mean follow-up: 9.1 years). Surgical procedures were performed with open or arthroscopic partial central meniscectomy, subtotal meniscectomy, total meniscectomy, or partial meniscectomy with repair. The majority of the studies showed good clinical results. Mild joint space narrowing was reported in the lateral compartment, but none of the knees demonstrated moderate or advanced degenerative changes. Increased age at surgery, longer follow-up period, and subtotal or total meniscectomy could be related to degenerative change. The majority of the complications was osteochondritis dissecans at the lateral femoral condyle (13 cases) and reoperation was performed by osteochondritis dissecans (4 cases), recurrent swelling (2 cases), residual symptom (1 case), stiffness (1 case), and popliteal stenosis (1 case).
CONCLUSIONS: Good clinical results were obtained with surgical treatment of symptomatic DLM. The progression of degenerative change was minimal and none of the knees demonstrated moderate or advanced degenerative changes. Increased age at surgery, longer follow-up period, and subtotal or total meniscectomy were possible risk factors for degenerative changes.
LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, systematic review of Level IV studies.
CASE PRESENTATION: A 57-year-old man presented to our orthopedic outpatient department with 3-months history of an unusual painful swelling at the operated area following DFO. The leakage of joint fluid from the penetrated suprapatellar pouch was assumed to be the reason for this complication.
CONCLUSIONS: The overall aim of this case report is to provide a lesson to budding surgeons who might experience a similar situation that cannot be easily explained, like the unexpected complication in the present case.