Objective To establish a three-dimensional finite element analysis model of the knee joint in fresh frozen cadavers, to verify the validity of the model and to simulate the stress distribution characteristics of the patellofemoral joint after combined proximal and distal knee extension rearrangement surgery for recurrent patellar dislocation. Methods One male and one female fresh frozen cadavers (4 knees in total), using voluntary body donations, were used to measure the maximum pressure on the patellofemoral articular surface at each passive flexion angle (0°, 30°, 60°, 90°, 120°) of the normal knee joint and the model after combined proximal and distal knee extension rearrangement surgery for recurrent patellar dislocation with tibial tuberosity-trochlear groove distance (TT-TG) value >2.00 cm using pressure-sensitive paper, respectively. Then, the 2 freshly frozen cadavers were used to construct three-dimensional finite element models of normal knee joints and postoperative knee joints, and the maximum pressure on the patellofemoral articular surface was measured at various passive flexion angles. The maximum pressure was compared with the measurement results of the pressure-sensitive paper to verify the validity of the three-dimensional finite element model. In addition, the maximum pressure on the patellofemoral joint surface measured by three-dimensional finite element was compared between the normal knee joint and the postoperative knee joint at various passive flexion angles, so as to obtain an effective three-dimensional finite element model for the simulation study of the stress distribution characteristics of the patellofemoral joint after combined proximal and distal knee extension rearrangement surgery for recurrent patellar dislocation. ResultsThe maximum pressure on the patellofemoral joint surface measured by pressure-sensitive paper and three-dimensional finite element measurements were similar at all passive flexion angles in the normal knee joint, with a difference of −0.08-0.06 MPa; the maximum pressure on the patellofemoral joint surface measured by pressure-sensitive paper and three-dimensional finite element measurements were also similar at all passive flexion angles in the knee after combined proximal and distal knee extension rearrangement surgery, with a difference of −0.04-0.09 MPa. The maximum pressure on the patellofemoral joint surface measured by three-dimensional finite elements were also similar between the normal knee joint and the knee joint after combined proximal and distal knee extension rearrangement surgery at all passive flexion angles, with a difference of −0.50-−0.03 MPa. ConclusionThe three-dimensional finite element model of the normal knee joint and the knee joint after combined proximal and distal knee extension rearrangement surgery can accurately and effectively quantify the change in the maximum pressure on the patellofemoral joint surface; for recurrent patellar dislocations with TT-TG value>2.00 cm, the combined proximal and distal knee extension rearrangement surgery can achieve a maximum pressure of the patellofemoral joint surface similar to that of the normal knee joint.
Objective To investigate the changes of knee joint kinematics after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction assisted by personalized femoral positioner based on the apex of deep cartilage (ADC). Methods Between January 2021 and January 2022, a total of 40 patients with initial ACL rupture who met the selection criteria were randomly divided into the study group (using the personalized femoral positioner based on ADC design to assist ACL reconstruction) and the control group (not using the personalized femoral positioner to assist ACL reconstruction), with 20 patients in each group. Another 20 volunteers with normal knee were collected as a healthy group. There was no significant difference in gender, age, body mass index, and affected side between groups (P>0.05). Gait analysis was performed at 3, 6, and 12 months after operation using Opti _ Knee three-dimensional knee joint motion measurement and analysis system, and the 6 degrees of freedom (flexion and extension angle, varus and valgus angle, internal and external rotation angle, anteroposterior displacement, superior and inferior displacement, internal and external displacement) and motion cycle (maximum step length, minimum step length, and step frequency) of the knee joint were recorded. The patients’ data was compared to the data of healthy group. Results In the healthy group, the flexion and extension angle was (57.80±3.45)°, the varus and valgus angle was (10.54±1.05)°, the internal and external rotation angle was (13.02±1.66)°, and the anteroposterior displacement was (1.44±0.39) cm, the superior and inferior displacement was (0.86±0.20) cm, and the internal and external displacement was (1.38±0.39) cm. The maximum step length was (51.24±1.29) cm, the minimum step length was (45.69±2.28) cm, and the step frequency was (12.45±0.47) step/minute. Compared with the healthy group, the flexion and extension angles and internal and external rotation angles of the patients in the study group and the control group decreased at 3 months after operation, and the flexion and extension angles of the patients in the control group decreased at 6 months after operation, and the differences were significant (P<0.05); there was no significant difference in the other time points and other indicators when compared with healthy group (P>0.05). In the study group, the flexion and extension angles and internal and external rotation angles at 6 and 12 months after operation were significantly greater than those at 3 months after operation (P<0.05), while there was no significant difference in the other indicators at other time points (P>0.05). There was a significant difference in flexion and extension angle between the study group and the control group at 6 months after operation (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference of the indicators between the two groups at other time points (P>0.05).Conclusion Compared with conventional surgery, ACL reconstruction assisted by personalized femoral positioner based on ADC design can help patients achieve more satisfactory early postoperative kinematic results, and three-dimensional kinematic analysis can more objectively and dynamically evaluate the postoperative recovery of knee joint.
Objective To explore the mid-term effectiveness of combined knee extensor mechanism realignment with bone anchor for recurrent patella dislocation. Methods Between August 2017 and May 2019, 21 patients with recurrent patella dislocation underwent combined knee extensor mechanism realigament with bone anchor and followed up more than 3 years. There were 8 males and 13 females with an average age of 19.4 years (range, 13-26 years). All 21 patients had a history of recurrent patellar dislocation for 2-5 times (median, 3 times), and the disease duration was 1-16 years (mean, 5 years). The preoperative Lysholm score was 67.5±6.3 and the Kujula score was 64.1±7.0. The defect of meniscus, anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments, and medial and lateral collateral ligaments were excluded by MRI examination; CT examination showed that the tibial tuberosity-trochlear groove distance was 2.05-2.56 cm, with an average of 2.16 cm; X-ray examination showed that lower limb force line was abnormal. The effectiveness were evaluated by Lysholm score and Kujula score before operation and at 3 years after operation, and Insall evaluation standard at 3 years after operation. Results All the incisions healed by first intention, and there was no surgical complication such as lower extremity deep vein thrombosis, incision infection, and nerve injury. All 21 patients were followed up 3.0-3.5 years, with an average of 3.2 years. Anteroposterior and lateral X-ray films of the knee joint at 3 years after operation showed that the position of the patella was normal, and the axial X-ray films of the patella (30°, 60°, 90°) showed that the patellofemoral joint had a good relationship. During the follow-up, there was no anchor drop or fracture, no obvious pseudarthrosis formation, and no epiphyseal injury in the minor patients. The Lysholm score was 91.5±7.1 and the Kujula score was 88.1±7.6 at 3 years after operation, which were significantly improved when compared with those before operation (t=11.57, P=0.00; t=12.78, P=0.00). According to the Insall evaluation criteria, 12 cases were excellent, 4 cases were good, 4 cases were fair, and 1 case was poor, with an excellent and good rate of 76.2%. ConclusionCombined knee extensor mechanism realignment with bone anchor is a simple and reliable way to treat the recurrent patella dislocation, with a satisfactory mid-term effectiveness and less complications; however, its long-term effectiveness needs further follow-up.
Objective To summarize the evaluation methods of postoperative healing of supraspinatus tendon tear in recent years, in order to provide reference for clinic. Methods CNKI, Wanfang, PubMed, and Foreign Medical Literature Retrieval Service (FMRS) databases were used to search the literatures between 2005 and 2022. The literature related to the diagnosis and postoperative healing of supraspinatus tendon tear was included. Finally, 50 articles were reviewed. ResultsSupraspinatus tendon tear is a common shoulder disease. Physical examination, clinical score, and imaging examination are used to predict and evaluate the postoperative healing. Among them, physical examination and clinical score are non-invasive and the most economical methods, but their accuracy and sensitivity are lower than imaging examination, so they can only be used as auxiliary methods. The acromio-humeral distance (AHD) and upward migration index (UMI) measured by X-ray films can directly reflect the change of supraspinatus tendon thickness, but they are impossible to distinguish whether there is tear or not. Ultrasound and MRI are the main methods for the clinical diagnosis of supraspinatus tendon tear, but the commonly used MRI sequence can not accurately judge the internal healing of the tendon. Shear wave elastrography (SWE) and ultrashort-echo-time (UTE) techniques are the latest research directions in recent years, but different studies have shown opposite conclusions on the application of SWE technique. This conclusion shows that the principle of SWE technique and its relationship with tendons need to be further studied. UTE technique has good clinical effect, and the T2* value obtained by UTE technique is more accurate than that of traditional Sugaya typing, but there are still few research samples. Conclusion AHD and UMI measured by X-ray film and T2* value measured by UTE technique can be used as effective methods for evaluating the healing of supraspinatus tendon tear after repairing, and can be used as a follow-up evaluation method combined with physical examination and clinical score for patients with supraspinatus tendon tear.
Objective To compare the early effectiveness of arthroscopic repair of moderate rotator cuff tears with single-row modified Mason-Allen technique and double-row suture bridge technique. MethodsThe clinical data of 40 patients with moderate rotator cuff tears who met the selection criteria between January 2021 and May 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 20 cases were repaired with single-row modified Mason-Allen suture technique (single-row group) and 20 cases with double-row suture bridge technique (double-row group). There was no significant difference in gender, age, disease duration, rotator cuff tear size, and preoperative visual analogue scale (VAS) score, Constant-Murley score, and T2* value between the two groups (P>0.05). The VAS score, Constant-Murley score (including subjective influence, pain, flexion, internal rotation, external rotation, abduction, and muscle strength score) were compared between the two groups before operation and at 6 weeks, 3, 6, and 12 months after operation. Functional MRI and ultrashort-echo-time (UTE)-T2* technique were performed to calculate T2* value and quantitatively evaluate the healing of rotator cuff tissue; and the healing of rotator cuff was evaluated by Sugaya classification at 12 months after operation. ResultsPatients in both groups were followed up 1 year. There was no complication such as muscle atrophy, joint stiffness, or postoperative rotator cuff tear. The intra-group comparison showed that the scores of pain, subjective influence, flexion, abduction, and muscle strength in Constant-Murley scores at each time point after operation in the two groups were significantly higher than those before operation, while VAS scores were significantly lower than those before operation (P<0.05). Internal rotation, external rotation, and total score of Constant-Murley score in the two groups were lower at 6 weeks due to abduction immobilization within 6 weeks after operation, and gradually increased at 6 months after operation, with significant differences at 3, 6, and 12 months after operation when compared with those before operation and at 6 weeks after operation (P<0.05). The T2* values of the two groups showed a downward trend over time, and there were significant differences between the two groups at other time points (P<0.05), except that there was no significant difference between at 6 and 12 months after operation in the single-row group and between at 3, 6, and 12 months after operation in the double-row group (P>0.05). The comparison between groups showed that the VAS score and T2* values of the double-row group were significantly lower than those of the single-row group at 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months after operation (P<0.05). The scores of subjective influence, flexion, abduction, and internal rotation in the double-row group were significantly better than those in the single-row group at 6 weeks and 3 months after operation (P<0.05), and the external rotation score and total score in the double-row group were significantly better than those in the single-row group at 3 months after operation (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference at 6 and 12 months after operation (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in muscle strength and pain scores between the two groups at 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months after operation (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in the results of Sugaya classification between the two groups at 12 months after operation (Z=1.060, P=0.289). Conclusion The effectiveness of arthroscopic repair of moderate rotator cuff tears with modified Mason-Allen technique and double-row suture bridge technique is satisfactory, but suture bridge technique is helpful to the early rehabilitation training of shoulder joint and the recovery of motor function of patients.
Objective To summarize the evaluation methods of return to sports (RTS) after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) in recent years, in order to provide reference for clinical practice. Methods The literature related to the RTS after ACLR was searched from CNKI, Wanfang, PubMed, and Foreign Medical Information Resources Retrieval Platform (FMRS) databases. The retrieval range was from 2010 to 2023, and 66 papers were finally included for review. The relevant literature was summarized and analyzed from the aspects of RTS time, objective evaluation indicators, and psychological evaluation. Results RTS is the common desire of patients with ACL injury and doctors, as well as the initial intention of selecting surgery. A reasonable and perfect evaluation method of RTS can not only help patients recover to preoperative exercise level, but also protect patients from re-injury. At present, the main criterion for clinical judgement of RTS is time. It is basically agreed that RTS after 9 months can reduce the re-injury. In addition to time, it is also necessary to test the lower limb muscle strength, jumping, balance, and other aspects of the patient, comprehensively assess the degree of functional recovery and determine the different time of RTS according to the type of exercise. Psychological assessment plays an important role in RTS and has a good clinical predictive effect. ConclusionRTS is one of the research hotspots after ACLR. At present, there are many related evaluation methods, which need to be further optimized by more research to build a comprehensive and standardized evaluation system.
Objective To investigate the effectiveness of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction assisted by personalized femoral locator based on the apex of deep cartilage (ADC) combined with patient imaging data. Methods Between January 2021 and January 2022, a total of 40 patients with primary ACL rupture were selected and randomly divided into study group (ACL reconstruction assisted by personalized femoral locator based on ADC) and control group (ACL reconstruction assisted by intraoperative fluoroscopy and traditional femoral locator), with 20 cases in each group. There was no significant difference in gender, age, body mass index, affected side, cause of injury, and preoperative International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score, Lyshlom score, and Tegner score between the two groups (P>0.05). IKDC score, Lyshlom score, and Tegner score were used to evaluate the functional recovery of the affected knee before operation and at 3, 6, and 12 months after operation. CT scan and three-dimensional reconstruction were performed before and after operation to measure the horizontal distance from ADC to the anterior cartilage margin (L) and the horizontal distance from ADC to the center of the femoral canal (I), and the anteroposterior position of the bone canal (R) was calculated by I/L; the distance from the center to the distal cartilage margin (D) was measured on the two-dimensional cross section; the R value and D value were compared between the two groups. Results The operation time of the study group was significantly less than that of the control group [MD=−6.90 (−8.78, −5.03), P<0.001]. The incisions of the two groups healed by first intention, and no complication such as intra-articular infection, nerve injury, and deep vein thrombosis of lower limbs occurred. There was no significant difference in the R value and D value between the preoperative simulated positioning and the actual intraoperative positioning in the study group [MD=0.52 (−2.85, 3.88), P=0.758; MD=0.36 (−0.39, 1.11), P=0.351]. There was no significant difference in the actual intraoperative positioning R value and D value between the study group and the control group [MD=1.01 (−2.57, 4.58), P=0.573; MD=0.24 (−0.34, 0.82), P=0.411]. The patients in both groups were followed up 12-13 months (mean, 12.4 months). The IKDC score, Lysholm score, and Tegner score of the two groups increased gradually with time, and there were significant differences between pre- and post-operation (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the scores between the two groups at each time point after operation (P>0.05). Conclusion The personalized femoral locator based on ADC can accurately assist the femoral tunnel positioning in ACL reconstruction, which can shorten the operation time when compared with traditional surgical methods, and achieve satisfactory early effectiveness.
ObjectiveTo clarify the intervention guidance of return to sports WeChat applet and evaluate the rehabilitation effectiveness after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. MethodsBetween September 2020 and September 2022, 80 patients who met the selection criteria and underwent ACL anatomical single bundle reconstruction were selected as the research objects. According to the double-blind random method, they were divided into the applet group and the regular group, with 40 cases in each group. Patients in the applet group were rehabilitated under the guidance of the return to sports WeChat applet, and the patients were asked to perform the test once a month after operation, including patients’ subjective scores [Tegner score, knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome score (KOOS), International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score, American Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) score], psychological assessment [ACL recovery sports injury scale (ACL-RSI) score], jumping test, balance test, bending angle test. Patients in the regular group were followed up by doctors and nurses regularly by telephone every month. All the patients were reexamined at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after operation, and the range of motion of the knee joint with 6 degrees of freedom (flexion and extension angle, varus and valgus angle, internal and external rotation angle, anteroposterior displacement, superior and inferior displacement, and internal and external displacement) recorded by Opti_Knee three-dimensional knee joint motion measurement gait analysis system was observed. The anterior tibial translation difference (ATTD) was measured by Ligs knee measuring instrument when a forward thrust of 120 N was applied to the posterior part of the proximal tibia. Tegner score, IKDC score, KOOS score (including KOOS-Pain score, KOOS-Symptoms score, KOOS-Activities of daily living score, KOOS-Sport score, and KOOS-Quality of life score), HSS score, ACL-RSI score, jumping ability, balance ability, patients’ satisfaction with the rehabilitation process, and ACL healing grading according to ACL continuity and signal intensity shown by MRI. Results There were significant differences in various indicators between different time points after operation in the two groups (P<0.05). At 3 months after operation, except that the ACL-RSI score of the applet group was significantly higher than that of the regular group (P<0.05), there was no significant difference in the other indicators between the two groups (P>0.05). At 6 months after operation, the ACL-RSI score, IKDC score, Tegner score, KOOS scores of different items, HSS score, balance and jumping ability of the applet group were significantly higher than those of the regular group (P<0.05), and there was no significant difference in the other indicators between the two groups (P>0.05). At 9 months after operation, there was no significant difference in all indicators between the two groups (P>0.05). At 12 months after operation, 27 cases (67.5%) in the applet group and 21 cases (52.5%) in the regular group returned to sport, with a significant difference of the return to sports incidence between the two groups [RR(95%CI)=1.50 (1.00, 2.25), P=0.049]. In the applet group, 27 cases were very satisfied with the rehabilitation process, 10 cases were satisfied, 2 cases were basically satisfied, and 1 case was not satisfied, while 19, 13, 5, and 3 cases in the regular group, respectively. The satisfaction degree of the applet group was significantly better than that of the regular group (P=0.049). MRI examination of the two groups showed that the ACL was continuous without secondary rupture or necrosis. The ACL healing grade of the applet group was 31 cases of grade 1 and 9 cases of grade 2, and that of the regular group was 28 cases of grade 1 and 12 cases of grade 2, there was no significant difference in ACL healing grade between the two groups (P=0.449). ConclusionThe application of return to sports WeChat applet in the rehabilitation of patients after ACL reconstruction can significantly reduce the fear of return to sports and improve the rate of return to sports. The return to sports WeChat applet is convenient to operate, with high utilization rate and high patient compliance, which significantly improves the satisfaction.