Osteochondral Lesion in Diffuse Pigmented Villonodular Synovitis of the Knee.

Pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS) is a rare benign condition that is locally aggressive and may destructively invade the surrounding soft tissues and bone causing functional loss of the joint and the limb. The knee is the most affected joint (range, 28% to 70%) but involvement of the bone is not a common feature seen at this site. We present a rare case of diffuse PVNS of the knee associated with subchondral cyst of the lateral femoral condyle. This posed a diagnostic dilemma because of bone invasion. The radiological image of synovitis was pathognomonic of PVNS but etiology of the osteolytic lesion was confirmed only on histopathology. The large osteochondral defect was eventually managed in a staged manner with bone grafting and osteochondral autograft transfer.

Anatomic Posterolateral Corner Reconstruction With Autogenous Peroneus Longus Y Graft Construct.

The posterolateral corner of the knee is composed of the fibular collateral ligament, popliteus tendon, and popliteofibular ligament, which provide varus and rotational stability to the knee. An anatomic technique reconstructs these structures through 2 femoral sockets and 1 tibial and 1 fibular tunnel. This reconstruction can be performed using a peroneus longus autograft that is prepared as a Y construct. The peroneus longus autograft is preferred because it provides adequate length and diameter for the entire reconstruction. Initially, the doubled loop of the Y is passed into the tibial tunnel and fixed with an adjustable cortical button. The shorter limb of the Y is used for reconstruction of the popliteus tendon. The longer limb of the Y is passed from posterior to anterior through the fibular tunnel and is fixed in the tunnel with an interference screw to re-create the popliteofibular ligament. The remaining graft is then shuttled deep to the iliotibial band and superficial to the popliteus tendon, into the femoral socket, to re-create the fibular collateral ligament.

Knotless Medial Meniscus Posterior Root Repair.

Medial meniscus posterior root tears are common injuries, especially in the Asian world. This injury must be repaired where indicated to restore knee biomechanics and prevent arthritis. Suturing the meniscus using suture tapes provides good hold of the tissue. The use of a 70° arthroscope and creation of a transseptal portal improve visualization of the posterior compartment. Creation of a high posteromedial portal achieves the correct trajectory for the suture anchor insertion. A knotless suture anchor can be used to fix the posterior root at its anatomic attachment site. This obliterates the need for transtibial drilling for a suture pull-out repair or for knot tying and suture shuttling as for a conventional suture anchor.

Primary Anterior Cruciate Ligament Repair With Augmentation.

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears are usually managed by reconstruction with autograft or allograft, but primary repair in carefully selected patients is a reasonable option. Proximal avulsions presenting early with excellent tissue quality are amenable to repair and healing. Restoration of native ACL preserves its proprioceptive and kinematic functions. A repair is less invasive and avoids graft-related problems, and faster rehabilitation is possible. Protection for the repair in the early stages will allow better healing. We present our technique of ACL repair using knotless suture anchors with high-strength sutures and protection using high-strength sutures tapes inserted through the same anchors.

Meniscal Preservation is Important for the Knee Joint.

Native joint preservation has gained importance in recent years. This is mostly to find solutions for limitations of arthroplasty. In the knee joint, the menisci perform critical functions, adding stability during range of motion and efficiently transferring load across the tibiofemoral articulation while protecting the cartilage. The menisci are the most common injury seen by orthopedicians, especially in the younger active patients. Advances in technology and our knowledge on functioning of the knee joint have made meniscus repair an important mode of treatment. This review summarizes the various techniques of meniscus tear repair and also describes biological enhancements of healing.

Localized pigmented villonodular synovitis of posterior compartment of the knee.

Pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS) is an uncommon entity involving articular or extra-articular tissues and maybe localized or diffuse in extent. The knee is by far the commonest joint to get involved. Localized PVNS of the knee can occur in any location but its confinement to the posterior compartment is infrequent. We present our experience of managing localized posterior compartment PVNS of the knee. There were 10 patients (7 males and 3 females) with average age of 33 years. These patients had symptoms of pain, locking, or swelling for a mean of 13.9 years before diagnosis. All the patients underwent arthroscopic synovectomy without adjuvant therapy, and PVNS was proven on histopathology. At an average follow-up of 23 months, no patient had recurrence of symptoms. The average International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score at last follow-up was 85.21. Magnetic resonance imaging evaluation at final follow-up did not reveal any residual disease or recurrence in any patient.

Primary Repair of Tibial-Sided Avulsion of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament.

Lesions of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) are common; the current gold standard of treatment for such lesions is ACL reconstruction. Tibial-sided soft-tissue avulsion is a rare subtype of ACL injuries. Unlike femoral-sided ACL repair, surgery for acute tibial-sided ACL ruptures has been neither reported nor described. This technical note presents a method for primary anatomic ACL reinsertion for an acute distal soft-tissue avulsion-type ACL injury, using a transosseous pull-out repair technique. Our technique, as an alternative to reconstruction, has the potential to enhance healing due to marrow stimulation (tibial tunneling). It also preserves the native insertion site and proprioceptive function, which may, in turn, reduce the risk of post-traumatic osteoarthritis.