Editorial Commentary: With Appropriate Anterior Cruciate Ligament Graft Selection, All-Inside Reconstruction Results in Excellent Outcomes: Stay "Inside" and Be Cognizant of Hamstring Graft Diameter Expectations in Shorter Patients.

All-inside anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is a minimally invasive and anatomic technique with predictably excellent results. The array of graft choices that exists for skilled arthroscopists include semitendinosis autograft with or without gracilis, quadriceps tendon autograft, and patellar tendon autograft and allograft. The advantages of all-inside ACL reconstruction include independent femoral socket creation and less pain compared with a full tibial tunnel in the early postoperative period. This is a technique that should not trump appropriate graft selection. It is expected that autografts will fare better in younger patients who participate in activities at greater risk for ACL injuries. Selection of a semitendinosis autograft results in predictably excellent results when graft diameters are 8 mm or greater. Quadrupling the semitendinosis and adding the gracilis when needed can provide sufficient graft diameter in many patients. However, caution should be taken when harvesting hamstring grafts from shorter patients. Semitendinosis tendons in such patients are sometimes not long enough to quadruple and can result in a diameters less than 8 mm even when the gracilis is added. With appropriate graft selection, staying "inside" for ACL reconstruction is expected to result in great objective and subjective outcomes for our patients.

Prediction of semitendinosus and gracilis tendon lengths and diameters for double bundle ACL reconstruction.

Although double bundle anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction with hamstring autograft tendons has been reported frequently, some patients may not have enough semitendinosus and gracilis tissue to make satisfactory diameter and length grafts or allow secure graft fixation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate double bundle ACL reconstruction feasibility with hamstring autograft tendons and correlate this feasibility with patient height, weight, and body mass index (BMI). One hundred consecutive patients undergoing ACL reconstruction with hamstring autograft tendons were evaluated. Preoperative height, weight, and BMI were documented for each patient. Our team measured semitendinosus and gracilis tendon lengths intraoperatively. Graft diameters were measured after doubling each tendon. Three double bundle ACL reconstruction techniques were defined that were felt to allow satisfactory graft diameters and lengths, and that would allow secure fixation of the grafts. There were moderate correlations between patient height and graft lengths and diameters. There were poor correlations between patient weight and BMI, and graft lengths and diameters. The likelihood of having enough semitendinosus and gracilis tendon tissue for double bundle ACL reconstruction was 57%, 39%, and 88% for each of the 3 described technique constructs respectively.

Efficacy of continuous subacromial bupivacaine infusion for pain control after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair.

BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS: Arthroscopic rotator cuff repair can be a painful outpatient procedure. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of continuous subacromial bupivacaine infusion to relieve pain after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. We hypothesized that patients receiving continuous subacromial bupivacaine infusions after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair will have less postoperative pain in the early postoperative period than placebo and control groups. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty-eight patients undergoing arthroscopic rotator cuff repair were randomized in a blinded fashion into 1 of 3 groups. Group 1 received no postoperative subacromial infusion catheter. Group 2 received a postoperative subacromial infusion catheter filled with saline solution. Group 3 received a postoperative subacromial infusion catheter filled with 0.5% bupivacaine without epinephrine. Infusion catheters were scheduled to infuse at 4 mL/h for 50 hours. Postoperative pain levels were assessed with visual analog scale scores hourly for the first 6 postoperative hours, every 6 hours for the next 2 days, and then every 12 hours for the next 3 days. Patients recorded daily oxycodone consumption for the first 5 postoperative days. RESULTS: Immediately postoperative, the group with no catheter had significantly lower visual analog scale scores (P = .04). There were no significant differences in visual analog scale scores among the groups at any other time point. There were no differences found among the groups regarding mean daily oxycodone consumption. CONCLUSION: The use of continuous bupivacaine subacromial infusion catheters resulted in no detectable pain reduction after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair based on visual analog scale scores and narcotic medication consumption.

Sensitivity and specificity of noncontrast magnetic resonance imaging reports in the diagnosis of type-II superior labral anterior-posterior lesions in the community setting.

BACKGROUND: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been suggested to be of high accuracy at academic institutions in the identification of superior labral tears; however, many Type-II superior labral anterior-posterior (SLAP) lesions encountered during arthroscopy have not been previously diagnosed with noncontrast images. This study evaluated the accuracy of diagnosing Type-II SLAP lesions in a community setting with use of noncontrast MRI and analyzed the effect that radiologist training and the scanner type or magnet strength had on sensitivity and specificity. METHODS: One hundred and forty-four patients requiring repair of an arthroscopically confirmed Type-II SLAP lesion who had a noncontrast MRI examination performed within twelve months before the procedure were included in the sensitivity analysis. An additional 100 patients with arthroscopically confirmed, normal superior labral anatomy were identified for specificity analysis. The transcribed interpretations of the images by the radiologists were used to document the diagnosis of a SLAP lesion and were compared with the operative report. The magnet strength, type of MRI system (open or closed), and whether the radiologist had completed a musculoskeletal fellowship were also recorded. RESULTS: Noncontrast MRI identified SLAP lesions in fifty-four of 144 shoulders, yielding an overall sensitivity of 38% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 30%, 46%). Specificity was 94% (95% CI = 87%, 98%), with six SLAP lesions diagnosed in 100 shoulders that did not contain the lesion. Musculoskeletal fellowship-trained radiologists performed with higher sensitivity than those who had not completed the fellowship (46% versus 19%; p = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate a low sensitivity and high specificity in the diagnosis of Type-II SLAP lesions with noncontrast MRI in this community setting. Musculoskeletal fellowship-trained radiologists had significantly higher sensitivities in accurately diagnosing the lesion than did radiologists without such training. Noncontrast MRI is not a reliable diagnostic tool for Type-II SLAP lesions in a community setting.

No tunnel 2-socket technique: all-inside anterior cruciate ligament double-bundle retroconstruction.

This report describes an all-inside, double-bundle anterior cruciate ligament retroconstruction (all-inside x2 technique), which is a less invasive technique because of the use of sockets (2 femoral and 2 tibial) instead of complete bone tunnels. When performed with allograft, this may be termed a "no-incision" technique. The femoral sockets are reamed via the anteromedial arthroscopic portal. The tibial sockets are created with the all-inside RetroDrill (Arthrex, Naples, FL) from within the joint. The posterolateral bundle graft is passed first and shuttled through the anteromedial portal and fixed on the femur with a RetroButton (Arthrex), interference screw, or both. It is then fixed on the tibia with a bioabsorbable RetroScrew (Arthrex) near full extension. The anteromedial bundle graft is passed through next, and the process is repeated with tibial fixation performed at 45 degrees of flexion. Posterolateral and anteromedial tibial fixation may be backed up by tying over a cortical button.