Femoral Cortical Button Malposition Rates in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Retrospective Review.

The purpose of this study was to determine the rate of malposition of the femoral cortical button during anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and to present a classification system of femoral cortical button positioning that is both accurate and reproducible. A total of 361 patients undergoing primary anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction during a 5-year period were identified, and postoperative button position was graded as follows: reduced and congruent (entirety of button <2 mm from cortex); reduced and incongruent (part of button <2 mm from cortex, part of button >2 mm from cortex); displaced (entirety of button >2 mm from cortex); intraosseous (all or part of button remains within bone); or ungradable. Radiographs were evaluated by 2 orthopedic surgeons at 2 time points to define interrater and intrarater reliability. A total of 312 buttons (86.43%) were reduced and congruent, 18 (4.99%) were reduced and incongruent, 10 (2.77%) were displaced, 13 (3.60%) were intraosseous, and 8 (2.21%) were ungradable based on the available postoperative imaging. There was outstanding interrater reliability, with an overall kappa value of 0.84. Intrarater reliability for raters 1 and 2 was 0.77 and 0.83, respectively, representing excellent intrarater reliability for both observers. Cortical button placement during femoral fixation in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction is variable. This study presents a classification system for grading femoral cortical button placement that is accurate and reproducible. An organized grading scheme may be useful for future studies of the effect of cortical button malposition on stability and durability of fixation. [Orthopedics. 2019; 42(1):e56-e60.].

Bacterial Contamination of a Marking Pen in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.

BACKGROUND: A sterile surgical marking pen is commonly used during anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) to outline the proposed skin incision and then to mark the graft during preparation. Once in contact with the skin, the pen is a potential source of bacterial transmission and subsequent infections after ACLR. PURPOSE/HYPOTHESIS: The purpose of this study was to assess whether the skin marking pen is a fomite for contamination during arthroscopic ACLR. We hypothesized that there would be a difference in the rate of culture-positive pens between control pens and the study pens used to delineate the proposed skin incision. STUDY DESIGN: Controlled laboratory study. METHODS: Twenty surgical marking pens were collected prospectively from patients undergoing ACLR over a 12-month period. All patients underwent standard preoperative sterile preparation and draping procedures. Proposed incisions were marked with a new sterile pen, and the pen tip was immediately sent for a 5-day inoculation in broth and agar. Negative controls (unopened new pen) and positive controls (used to mark the skin incisions preoperatively) were also cultured. Additionally, blank culture dishes were observed during the growth process. All pens were removed from the surgical field before incision, and new marking pens were used when needed during the procedure. RESULTS: Three of the 20 study pens (15%) demonstrated positive growth. All 3 pens grew species of Staphylococcus. None of the negative controls demonstrated growth, 6 of the 12 positive controls showed growth, and none of the blank dishes exhibited growth. CONCLUSION: This study found a 15% rate of surgical marking pen contamination by Staphylococcus during ACLR. It is recommended that the skin marking pen not be used for any further steps of the surgical case and be discarded once used. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Infections after ACLR are rare but may result in significant morbidity, and all measures to reduce them should be pursued. Surgeons performing ACLR should dispose of the surgical marking pen after skin marking and before intraoperative use such as graft markup.

Patellofemoral Articulating Osteochondral (Kissing) Lesion Treated with Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation: A Case Report.

INTRODUCTION: Autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) is an effective treatment for chondral defects of the knee; however, its use in kissing lesions is less well documented. CASE REPORT: A 23-year-old female with a kissing lesion of the patellofemoral compartment on magnetic resonance imaging underwent two-stage ACI to her medial patella (20 mm × 22 mm) and medial trochlea (27 mm × 18 mm). At 1-year follow-up, the patient had returned to all activities with near-complete resolution of symptoms and substantial improvement in clinical outcome scores. CONCLUSION: Patients with kissing lesions of the knee can be treated successfully with ACI performed to multiple sites.

Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation Using a Bilayer Collagen Membrane with Bone Graft and Anteromedialization of the Tibial Tubercle for the Treatment of a Large Osteochondral Defect in the Lateral Knee Trochlea: A Case Report.

CASE: Autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) is an established technique for the treatment of osteochondral lesions of the knee. For larger lesions with a substantial amount of bone loss, ACI using a bilayer collagen membrane with bone-grafting has been demonstrated to offer good to excellent results in the tibiofemoral joint, but little has been reported on its use in the patellofemoral joint. We report on the 2-year follow-up of this technique of ACI with bone-grafting used for the treatment of a large osteochondral defect in the lateral aspect of the trochlea of the knee in an 18-year-old, active female patient. CONCLUSION: This case illustrates that ACI with bone-grafting using such a "sandwich" technique can be an effective treatment option for osteochondral lesions of the trochlea in the knee.