Arthroscopic Management for Bipartite Patella: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Bipartite patella is a rare congenital condition that becomes painful following direct trauma or an overuse injury. If it remains painful despite nonoperative treatment, surgery may be warranted. The current gold standard is open fragment excision or lateral release; however, arthroscopic management is also possible. PURPOSE: To investigate the safety and efficacy of arthroscopic treatment of painful bipartite patella. STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review; Level of evidence, 4. METHODS: Using Medline and Embase, we systematically reviewed the literature as of March 8, 2020, using the subject headings "bipartite patella" and "arthroscopy" and related key terms. All levels of evidence involving human studies in English were included. Articles were excluded if only the abstract was published or the study was related to nonsurgical treatment or nonrelated diagnoses. Data related to journal/article information, demographic/clinical data, arthroscopic technique, length of follow-up, treatment outcomes, and complications were extracted. RESULTS: Eleven articles with 43 patients were included in the review. Most patients (n = 34; 79%) underwent arthroscopic lateral release, while 16% (n = 7) had arthroscopic excision of the accessory fragment and 5% (n = 2) had arthroscopic excision and release. All patients except for one, who experienced postoperative trauma, were pain-free after arthroscopic treatment and were able to return to sports after a mean 2.6 months. CONCLUSION: This review demonstrated that arthroscopic management of painful bipartite patella is a safe and effective alternative to open surgical excision or release. However, all articles were case studies or small case series, owing to the rarity of the condition. In the future, higher-level studies comparing arthroscopic techniques and postoperative rehabilitation programs should be performed.

Isolated Arthroscopic-Assisted Subtalar Fusion: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: The subtalar joint has a complex anatomic function that includes inversion and eversion of the hindfoot, assisting in walking on uneven surfaces. Arthritis is the most common pathological condition affecting this joint and can require fusion. The surgery can be performed open or with arthroscopic assistance. This systematic review assesses articles written on the safety and efficacy of isolated arthroscopic subtalar fusion. METHODS: Using MEDLINE and Embase, we systematically reviewed articles published before May 21, 2020. RESULTS: Of 395 articles, 17 on a total of 395 patients (409 operations) were included in the review. The average duration of follow-up was 40.0 months (range, 3 to 105 months). Radiographic evidence of union was reported for 95.8% of cases at an average of 11.9 weeks (range, 6 to 56 weeks) postoperatively. Delayed union was reported in 1.0% of patients and nonunion, in 4.3% of patients. In the articles reporting patient satisfaction, including pain relief, 95.4% of patients had positive outcomes. Postoperative complications were reported in 64 patients (16.2%), including 37 (9.4%) with symptomatic implants, 11 (2.8%) with dysesthesia or neuropathic pain, and 3 (0.8%) with postoperative infection. CONCLUSIONS: Arthroscopic subtalar fusion is a safe and effective alternative to open subtalar arthrodesis, with high patient satisfaction rates, high union rates at similar follow-up intervals, and low complication rates. The aim of future research should be to determine the ideal cases for this approach as well as the most efficient arthroscopic surgical technique and postoperative rehabilitation to optimize function and union as seen on radiographs. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Collagen fleece in orthopaedic infections.

Collagen fleece is a relatively new development. It represents another option in the battle against infection. It is a cheap, biocompatible, and resorbable local antibiotic delivery mechanism with favorable drug release kinetics and low risk of adverse effects or toxicity. Benefit may be conferred when used in contaminated cases. Significantly more research is still needed before the adoption of collagen fleece as the standard of care. However, we can likely conclude that there are no major adverse effects and it can be safely used as an adjunct in addition to conventional therapies for the prophylaxis and treatment of infections.

Arthroscopic Management of Osteoid Osteoma of the Ankle Joint: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

Osteoid osteomas (OOs) are rare benign bone tumors that may occur in various joints including the ankle. These tumors are generally removed via open surgical excision or radiofrequency ablation. However, when they occur intra-articularly, these treatments are more difficult to perform because of more difficult access and the increased risk of damaging articular cartilage. Therefore, some have advocated for the use of arthroscopy to treat these cases. This systematic review aims to investigate the safety and efficacy of arthroscopic treatment for intra-articular OO of the ankle. Using Medline and Embase, we systematically reviewed the literature as of May 31, 2017. All articles published on and before that date were reviewed by 2 independent reviewers. Seventeen articles containing a total of 27 cases were included in the review. Most reported cases were in the talar neck, followed by the distal tibia. Of all the cases, only 2 recurrences were reported (in the same patient), and no complications were reported. Therefore, these cases demonstrate arthroscopic excision of intra-articular OO of the ankle as a safe and effective alternative to open surgical excision and radiofrequency ablation, with a success rate of 96%. However, all articles found were case studies or small case series owing to the rarity of this disease. In the future, analyses of case series with larger case collections should be performed.