Return to sport after early surgical repair of acute patellar tendon ruptures.

INTRODUCTION: Patellar tendon ruptures make up about 5% of all extensor mechanism injuries. They mainly occur in young, athletic men who have contributing risk factors such as chronic tendinopathy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the return to sport after repair of an acute patellar tendon rupture. We hypothesized that surgical repair yields good functional outcomes with a high rate of return to competitive sports in patients treated with the same surgical technique. METHODS: This retrospective study involved 23 cases of patellar tendon rupture in 20 patients (2 women, 18 men). The average age was 42.0±13.8 years (24-68). Eighteen ruptures occurred at the patellar attachment and five were mid-substance. Either transosseous reattachment or direct suture repair was carried out within 21 days; all tendons were augmented with a non-metallic tibiopatellar suture. At the final assessment, a clinical examination was carried out (extensor mechanism testing and range of motion) with collection of functional scores (pain, VISA-P, Lysholm and satisfaction), date of return to sport and final radiographs. RESULTS: At a mean follow-up of 47.7 months (15-120), there were no cases of significant knee stiffness. Seventeen patients (94.4%) had returned to sport, 15 at their pre-injury level (83%). The mean time before running could be restarted was 9 months (6-15 months) and 17 months for sports at the same pre-injury level (8-18 months). The mean VISA score and the mean Lysholm score were 85.5 (62-99) and 67.3 (35-97) respectively; 85% of patients were satisfied or very satisfied. The prognosis was worse when the patient was older than 40 and had a BMI above 25. Early surgical repair of patellar tendon rupture yields good functional outcomes with return to sport possible at high levels. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV, Retrospective cohort study.

A threshold value of 3.5 mm of passive anterior tibial subluxation on MRI is highly specific for complete ACL tears.

PURPOSE: To identify and quantify passive anterior tibial subluxation on MRI using a standardized measurement protocol and determine the diagnostic threshold of subluxation for complete anterior cruciate ligament tears. METHODS: A retrospective case-control study was performed. Patients who underwent surgery for a complete isolated ACL tear between 2009 and 2015 were matched for age and gender to controls with an intact ligament on knee MRI. All subjects underwent 1.5 T closed field MR imaging with the same protocol. Measurements were performed on axial sequences to evaluate translation of the medial and lateral condyles compared to the tibial plateau. Each compartment was measured between the vertical tangent to the posterior femoral condyles and the most posterior part of the tibial plateau. The main criterion was global passive subluxation measurements on MRI, corresponding to mean medial and lateral compartment subluxation. The reproducibility and diagnostic value of passive subluxation were calculated. RESULTS: Sixty (30/30) subjects were included, mean age 27.1 ± 1.7 years, 20 women and 40 men. Patients had a significantly higher global passive subluxation than controls (3.3 ± 0.6 mm vs 0.6 ± 0.2 mm, respectively p < 0.00001). Reproducibility was excellent and the diagnostic value of passive subluxation for a complete ACL tear was fair. A passive subluxation threshold of 3.5 mm had a sensitivity of 55.2%, a specificity of 100% and 77.6% of well-classified subjects. CONCLUSION: The calculated cutoff value for global passive subluxation to identify patients with a complete ACL tear was 3.5 mm, with excellent specificity and a high positive likelihood ratio. Suboptimal clinical results following ACL reconstruction could be partially due to failure to restore an anatomical femorotibial relationship. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III.

Prospective comparative study of knee laxity with four different methods in anterior cruciate ligament tears.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Anterior knee laxity can be evaluated using different devices, the most commonly used being the Telos®, KT1000®, Rolimeter®, and GNRB®. However, the laxity values obtained with these devices have never been compared to one another. As such, the outcomes of studies using these different knee laxity measurement devices may not be comparable. The primary purpose of this study was to determine the side-to-side laxity difference in patients with one ACL-injured knee, using each of these devices, and to compare the values obtained from each. We hypothesized that the measurements of laxity would vary depending on the device used. METHODS: This was a prospective study. All patients with an ACL injury, in which surgical reconstruction was planned, underwent pre-operative knee laxity measurements using four different devices. The concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) of the results was compared between the four devices. RESULTS: The study enrolled 52 patients. With regard to the values of the side-to-side differences, the KT1000® and the GNRB® obtained the most similar values (CCC = 0.51, 95% CI 0.37-0.63). The two devices with the lowest correlation were the Telos® and the Rolimeter® (CCC = 0.04, 95% CI - 0.14-0.23). The comparability was considered average for the KT1000® and GNRB® and poor for the other devices. CONCLUSIONS: The knee laxity devices used in regular practice are not comparable to one another. As a result, caution must be taken when comparing results from studies using these different devices.

Anterior shoulder stabilization by Bristow-Latarjet procedure in athletes: return-to-sport and functional outcomes at minimum 2-year follow-up.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess return-to-sport outcomes following the Latarjet-Bristow procedure. METHODS: This retrospective study included all athletes <50 years old, who underwent a Latarjet-Bristow procedure for anterior shoulder instability in 2009-2012. Main criteria assessments were the number of athletes returning to any sport and the number returning to the same sport at their preinjury level. The main follow-up was 46.8 ± 9.7 months. RESULTS: Forty-seven patients were analyzed, 46 men/1 women, mean age 27.9 ± 7.9 years. Eighteen patients practiced competitive sports and 29 recreational sports. None of them were professional athletes. One hundred percent returned to sports after a mean 6.3 ± 4.3 months. Thirty/47 (63.8 %) patients returned to the same sport at the same level at least and 10/47 (21.3 %) patients changed sport because of their shoulder. Compared to patients who returned to the same sport at the same level, patients who changed sports or returned to a lower level had practiced overhead or forced overhead sports [OR = 4.7 (1.3-16.9), p = 0.02] before surgery, experienced avoidance behavior at the final follow-up (p = 0.002), apprehension (p = 0.00001) and had a worse Western Ontario Shoulder Instability Index score and sub-items (p = 0.003) except for daily activities (p = 0.21). At the final follow-up, 45/47 (95.7 %) patients were still practicing a sport. CONCLUSION: All the patients returned to sports, most to their preinjury sport at the same level. Patients who practiced an overhead sport were more likely to play at a lower level or to change sport postoperatively. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV, retrospective study-Case series with no comparison group.

Bone mineral density of the coracoid process decreases with age.

PURPOSE: Surgical options in the treatment of recurrent anterior shoulder instability are numerous. The Latarjet procedure is one of the most common procedures performed. It has been previously demonstrated that bone mineral density decreases with age. This reduction thus increases the risk of osteoporosis and osteoporosis-related iatrogenic, traumatic or pathological fractures. The objective of this study was to quantify the bone mineral density of the coracoid process in different age groups. The hypothesis was that mineral bone density of the coracoid process decreases with age. METHODS: Using the hospital's electronic database, 60 patients who underwent a shoulder CT scan were randomly selected retrospectively. Four groups of 15 were formed with mean ages of 20, 30, 40 and 50 years. Bone density, length, width and thickness of the coracoid process 10 mm from the tip were measured four times by two different evaluators. Bone density was expressed in Hounsfield units (HU). RESULTS: The mean bone mineral density of the coracoid process significantly decreased with age (p < 0.0001). A lower but insignificant difference of bone mineral density was observed in females. A good inter- and intra-observer reliability was found for bone mineral density measurement of the coracoid process (0.67 and 0.7, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The bone mineral density of the coracoid process diminishes with age, thus confirming our hypothesis. There is a good inter- and intra-observer reliability of our CT scan-based coracoid process bone mineral density measurement rendering it reproducible in daily clinical practice. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

Influence of the bending of the tip of elastic stable intramedullary nails on removal and associated complications in pediatric both bone forearm fractures: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVES: Both bone forearm fractures are efficiently treated by elastic stable intramedullary nail (ESIN). According to the original technique, the tip of the nail must be bent at 90° and buried under the skin. However, skin irritation is commonly reported and may lead to early surgery to shorten the tip or remove the hardware. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of the bending of the tip of the nail in this procedure. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 72 children operated on using this technique with the tip bent either at 90° or at 180°. In both groups we recorded complication rates after the procedure and at the removal. RESULTS: Time until removal and duration of the removal were similar in both groups. Three complications (6.7%) that required additional surgery were recorded when the tip was bent at 90° whereas no complications were found with the tip bent at 180°. CONCLUSION: We advocate bending the tip of the nail at 180° before burying it in order to avoid skin irritation and additional procedures. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III­retrospective comparative study.