Chondrotoxic effects of tranexamic acid and povidone-iodine on the articular cartilage of rabbits.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the chondrotoxic effects of intra-articular use of TXA 20 mg/kg and/or 0.35% PVPI on knee joint cartilage in an experimental model of rabbits. METHODS: Forty-four male New Zealand adult rabbits were randomly assigned to four groups (control, tranexamic acid (TXA), povidone-iodine (PVPI), and PVPI + TXA). The knee joint cartilage was accessed through an arthrotomy and exposed to physiological saline SF 0.9% (control group), TXA, PVPI, and PVPI followed by TXA. Sixty days after surgical procedure, the animals were sacrificed and osteochondral specimens of the distal femur were obtained. Histological sections of cartilage from this area were stained with hematoxylin/eosin and toluidine blue. The following cartilage parameters were evaluated by the Mankin histological/histochemical grading system: structure, cellularity, glycosaminoglycan content in the extracellular matrix, and integrity of the tidemark. RESULTS: The isolated use of PVPI causes statistically significant changes in cartilage cellularity (p-value = 0.005) and decrease glycosaminoglycan content (p = 0.001), whereas the isolated use of TXA decreased significantly the glycosaminoglycan content (p = 0.031). The sequential use of PVPI + TXA causes more pronounced alterations in the structure (p = 0.039) and cellularity (p = 0.002) and decreased content of glycosaminoglycans (p < 0.001) all with statistical significance. CONCLUSION: Data suggest that intra-articular use of tranexamic acid 20 mg/kg and intraoperative lavage with 0.35% povidone-iodine solution for three min are toxic to the articular cartilage of the knee in an experimental in vivo study in rabbits.

Is high flexion total knee arthroplasty a rewarding procedure? An updated meta-analysis of prospective randomized controlled trials.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study is to provide an updated meta-analysis comparing the benefits and clinical outcomes between high flexion (HF)-TKA and standard (S)-TKA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A detailed database analysis was carried out using Web of Science, PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, MEDLINE and Clinicaltrial.gov, to identify eligible studies. The meta-analysis and sensitivity analysis were performed using Review Manager 5.3 software and STATA 12.0. RESULTS: Twenty-two randomized control trials (RCTs), including 2841 patients and 4268 knees, were eligible for the meta-analysis. The pooled results of subgroup analysis reveal that there was significant difference between HF-TKA and S-TKA in each subgroup in terms of postoperative ROM, with a higher degree of knee flexion for HF-TKA than S-TKA. However, no statistical difference was identified between HF-TKA and S-TKA in other clinical outcomes including various functional scores and complications. CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of this meta-analysis, we can recommended HF-TKA as an alternative choice to S-TKA for patients requiring higher knee flexion in their daily activities.

Anatomical femoral tunnel positioning in the medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction: is the free-hand technique accurate?

BACKGROUND: During medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) reconstruction, achieving anatomical positioning of the femoral and patellar origins is important for restoration of patellofemoral biomechanics. Although visual and manual detection can also be used to determine the femoral point of the MPFL, minimal research exists regarding accuracy of this method. Our aim was to evaluate the accuracy of free-hand method in determining the femoral point of the MPFL during surgery. METHODS: A prospective analysis was completed with 19 patients (20 knees), age ranging 15 to 39 years, in whom, three orthopedic surgeons with experience in knee procedures performed surgical reconstruction of the MPFL. MPFL femoral origin was accessed in a free-hand technique and a strict lateral view of the knee was then obtained. If the selected point was not considered appropriate, a better position was identified following the criteria set forth by Schottle. RESULTS: In a mean clinical follow-up of 2.3±1.3 years, anatomical point was achieved using the free-hand palpation method in seven knees (28.5%). Among the thirteen knees for whom the anatomical point was not attained without fluoroscopy, the mean error pattern found was 27.5%±8.6% for proximal (P-D axis) and 24%±6.3% for anterior in the posterior-anterior axis. The average error (difference between the marked point and the anatomical point) was 20.6%±5.9% (P=0.98) for the distal-proximal axis and 15.9%±6.1% (P=0.77) for the posterior-anterior axis. CONCLUSIONS: The anatomical palpation technique showed low accuracy, even when performed by experienced surgeons. The most common error pattern observed was proximal and anterior.

Displaced osteochondral fracture of the posterolateral tibial plateau associated with an acute anterior cruciate ligament injury.

An osteochondral fracture of the posterolateral tibial plateau associated with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in a 24-year-old boy is reported. Anterior cruciate ligament rupture is accompanied by bone contusions resulting from the impact of the posterolateral tibial plateau on the anterior part of the lateral femoral condyle. The osteochondral fracture of the posterolateral tibial plateau matched the site where the bone bruise is observed.

Three-dimensional computed tomography evaluation of anterior cruciate ligament footprint for anatomic single-bundle reconstruction.

PURPOSE: Femoral and tibial footprint coordinates have been well studied in double-bundle anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. However, in a single-bundle reconstruction approach, the central coordinate of femoral and tibial footprints have not been determined. The purpose of this study was to describe the central point locations of the ACL footprints visualized by three-dimensional computed tomography (3D CT) images and analysed by the quadrant method. METHODS: Eight cadaveric knees were dissected, and the central points of ACL femoral and tibial footprints were marked and analysed using 3D CT images. RESULTS: In the present study, the means (and standard deviation) of ACL femoral footprint dimensions were in the ventral-dorsal plane and in the cranial-caudal plane 9.4 ± 0.8 and 15.6 ± 0.9 mm, respectively. In the tibial side, the means of ACL footprint dimensions were in the anterior-posterior and in the medial-lateral 18.5 ± 1.9 and 15.5 ± 1.0 mm, respectively. In the tomographic analyses, the means of femoral central location coordinates in the ventral-dorsal (y) and in the cranial-caudal (x) axes were 35.3 ± 4.5 and 30.0 ± 1.6 %, respectively. The means of tibial central location coordinates were in the anterior-posterior (y) and in the medial-lateral (x) axes, respectively: 40.5 ± 5.3 and 50.2 ± 1.3 %, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These computed tomographic coordinates might help future studies as a reference on ACL single-bundle anatomic reconstruction, with respect to the management of ACL revision surgery or in symptomatic patients after ACL reconstruction. Improvements in three-dimensional image acquisition could facilitate its intraoperative applicability in the coming years.

Clinical and three-dimensional computed tomographic comparison between ACL transportal versus ACL transtibial single-bundle reconstructions with hamstrings.

BACKGROUND: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction using a single-bundle transtibial technique can achieve good or excellent results in more than 90% of patients, but anatomical and biomechanical studies have questioned its ability to restore knee function. The purpose of this study was to evaluate clinical and tomographic results (patient satisfaction, knee function, and tunnel location) of patients who underwent transportal or transtibial single-bundle ACL reconstruction. METHODS: Seventy-one patients with ACL tears were included. Forty-one patients were treated by the single-bundle transportal technique and 30 patients were treated by the single-bundle transtibial technique. Clinical and tomographic data were analyzed in both groups. RESULTS: After a minimum of 2-year period, the transportal group showed more patients with normal clinical tests than the transtibial group (Lachman [p=0.037], pivot shift [0.00], anterior drawer [0.002]; and arthrometer [0.002] tests). Regarding CT evaluation, transportal and transtibial groups obtained the following femoral central tunnel location (mean [SD]), as percentage: 30 (6.5) and 4.2 (6.4) in high-low axis; and 30.9 (5.9) and 33.2 (4.6) in the deep-shallow axis. Values in the tibial side were, respectively: 38 (6.5) and 46.0 (6.8) in the anterior-posterior axis; and 47.2 (2.5) and 46.9 (2.1) in the medial-lateral axis. CONCLUSION: CT findings showed that the transportal single-bundle technique positions the ACL tunnel closer to the native ACL footprint in both femur and tibia compared with the transtibial single-bundle technique. Moreover, mild asymptomatic instability and extension deficit were observed more often in the transtibial group.

EARLY COMPLICATIONS IN THE ORTHOPEDIC TREATMENT OF BONE METASTASES.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the early complications in the orthopedic treatment of metastatic bone lesions and the factors associated with these complications. METHOD: There were assessed, retrospectively, 64 patients that underwent surgical treatment for bone metastases, analyzing the complications that occurred in the pre-operative and early post- operative period and associating them with the tumor origin, type of procedure done, the need of blood reposition before the surgery, the need of new surgical procedures and the mortality due to the complications. RESULTS: Early complications in the treatment were observed in 17 (26.6%) patients, of which six (35.2%) ended up dying due to these complications. Regarding the type, 15 (23.8%) cases were due to surgical complications, four (6.3%) clinical and three (4.7%) patients showed clinical and surgical complications. There was no significant difference in the frequency of complications or mortality when assessed the type of reconstruction or affected region. The tumors with a renal origin needed more blood reposition and showed a bigger frequency of complications. CONCLUSION: The complications occurred in 26.6%. The complications are not related to the kind of treatment performed or to the region affected. The renal origin tumors showed a higher risk of hemorrhage.

SURGICAL TREATMENT OF PATELLOFEMORAL INSTABILITY.

OBJECTIVE: To describe functional outcomes following surgical treatment of patients with patellofemoral instability submitted to patellar realignment. METHODS: This was a retrospective study evaluating 34 operated knees for patellofemoral instability between 1989 and 2004. The patients were evaluated in the late postoperative period when a functional questionnaire was applied. RESULTS: After a mean follow-up time of 6 years and 5 months, the mean score was 82.94 in the surgical group (p=0.00037). The results of this investigation showed pain relief in 97.05% and low rate of recurrent dislocation (5.88%), although lower scores were seen in intense articular activities (squatting, running and jumping). No patient developed osteoarthritis while being followed up. CONCLUSION: The procedure for joint described in this paper was shown to be effective for treating patients with recurrent patellofemoral instability.