ObjectiveTo investigate the effectiveness of double-bundle anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction combined with anterolateral ligament (ALL) reconstruction in the treatment of revision patients with ACL graft failure.MethodsBetween January 2018 and June 2019, 15 patients underwent ACL revision with double-bundle ACL reconstruction combined with ALL reconstruction. There were 12 males and 3 females with an average age of 30.1 years (range, 17-49 years). The technique of primary ACL reconstruction included single-bundle reconstruction in 13 cases and double-bundle reconstruction in 2 cases. These reconstructions applied autografts in 14 cases and allograft in 1 case. The causes of ACL reconstruction failure were identified as traumatic rupture in 9 cases and non-traumatic failure in 6 cases, including 2 cases of graft absorption and 3 cases of graft laxity. The average time from the primary ACL reconstruction to revision was 28.5 months (range, 8-60 months). The subjective and objective indicators of knee joint function were compared before operation and at last follow-up to evaluate the effectiveness. The subjective indicators included International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score, Lysholm score, and Tegner score. The objective indicators included anterior tibial translation (dynamic and static) and side-to-side difference (SSD), pivot-shift test, Lachman test, the difference of single-legged hop test, and the loss ratio of extensor muscle strength on the affected side.ResultsAll incisions healed by first intetion, and no complications such as infection, venous thrombosis of lower extremity, or neurovascular injury occurred. All patients were followed up for an average of 19.1 months (range, 12-30 months). At last follow-up, all patients had returned to pre-injury sports level. The IKDC score, Lysholm score, and Tegner score were significantly improved (P<0.05); anterior tibial translations (dynamic and static) significantly decreased when compared with preoperative one (P<0.05) and returned to the physiological range. The SSD, Lachman test, pivot-shift test, the difference of single-legged hop test, and the loss ratio of extensor muscle strength on the affected side were significantly better than those before operation (P<0.05).During the follow-up, there was no re-rupture of the graft, no stiffness of the knee joint and limitation of mobility; 1 case had a protruding femoral end compression screw, which was removed through the original incision under local anesthesia. ConclusionDouble-bundle ACL reconstruction combined with ALL reconstruction can significantly improve the knee function in revision patients with ACL graft failure. It can reduce the anterior translation of tibia, and effectively prevent postoperative rotational instability of the knee.
Objective To investigate the evaluation, diagnosis, and surgical treatment of knee joint diagonal lesion and to observe its effectiveness. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on 9 patients with knee joint diagonal lesion admitted between November 2011 and November 2019, including 7 males and 2 females, aged 18-61 years, with an average age of 38.3 years. According to the clinical staging criteria of multiple ligament injury of knee joint, 6 patients with acute stage injury (≤3 weeks), the time from injury to operation was 5-16 days, with an average of 9.3 days; 3 patients with old stage injury (>3 weeks), the time from injury to operation was 7, 12, 144 months, respectively. Posterolateral complex injuries were all type C according to Fanelli classification, and the posterior cruciate ligament injury was grade 3 according to American Medical Association (AMA) classification. According to the three columns classification of tibial plateau fracture, there were 2 cases of zero column fracture and 7 cases of medial column fracture. Patients with acute injury were treated with posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, posterolateral complex repair and/or reinforcement reconstruction, and tibial plateau fracture was treated with conservative treatment or internal fixation. Patients with malunion of tibial plateau in old stage were treated with limited osteotomy, bone grafting, and internal fixation; the stability of the knee joint was further evaluated during operation, then the posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and/or posterolateral complex repair and reconstruction were performed as needed. Lysholm score and the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score before and after operation were used to evaluate knee function and effectiveness. Results All patients were followed up 24-119 months, with an average of 51.7 months. All the incisions healed by first intention, and no complication such as incision infection, deep venous thrombosis of lower extremities occurred, and there was no reoperation during follow-up. The full-length X-ray films of both lower extremities at 6 months and 1, 2 years after operation showed that the alignment of both lower extremities returned to normal, and the stress position X-ray films showed that the stability in all directions recovered well. The X-ray films of the knee joint at 6 months after operation showed that the fracture of the tibial plateau healed well. At 1 year after operation, MRI showed that the signal of the repaired and reconstructed ligament was good, and there was no reconstruction failure such as ligament absorption or rupture occurred. At 1 year after operation, the muscle strength of the affected limbs was all rated as grade Ⅴ, and the active and passive range of motion of the knee joint recovered to 0°-130°. At 2 years after operation, the Lysholm score and IKDC score significantly improved when compared with those before operation (P<0.05). Conclusion Knee joint diagonal lesion is a special type of posterior cruciate ligament and posterolateral complex injury with anteromedial split and collapse fracture of tibial plateau, which requires correct evaluation and diagnosis of the injured structure, and detailed surgical and rehabilitation programs to achieve better effectiveness.
ObjectiveTo investigate the effectiveness of modified patellar tendon reconstruction using hamstring autograft in the treatment of chronic patellar tendon rupture and defects.MethodsThe clinical data of 11 patients with chronic patellar tendon rupture and defects admitted between January 2015 and August 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. The patient were treated with inverted U-shaped reconstruction technique using hamstring autografts, in which 2 bone tunnels were created at the level of 1/2 and lower 3/4 of the patella, and 1 bone tunnel was created beneath the tibial tuberosity. There were 8 males and 3 females with an average age of 30.1 years (range, 10-61 years). The average interval from the primary injury to the operation was 9.5 months (range, 2-36 months). According to Yousef classification, there were 7 cases of type A2, 3 cases of type B2, and 1 case of type C2. The length of the patella tendon defect was measured when the patella was reducted intraoperatively with an average of 4.5 cm (range, 2.7-7.1 cm). Subjective function scores [including International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) subjective score, Tegner activity level, and Lysholm score] were evaluated before operation and at last follow-up. The loss of knee extension, Caton index, and thigh circumference difference at 15 cm above the patella between bilateral limbs were also measured.ResultsAll patients were followed up 24-66 months (mean, 34.2 months). All incisions were primary healing, and there were no complications such as wound infection, venous thrombosis of the lower extremities, stiffness of the knee joint, graft failure, neurovascular injury, etc. No second revision surgery was performed during the follow-up. At last follow-up, the subjective function scores (IKDC subjective score, Tegner activity level, Lysholm score), loss of knee extension, thigh circumference difference, and Caton index were significantly improved when compared with those before operation (P<0.05). Two patients still had patella alta, with Caton indexes of 1.29 and 1.32, respectively.ConclusionIn the treatment of chronic patellar tendon ruptures and defects, the modified patellar tendon reconstruction using hamstring autograft can significantly improve the postoperative knee function, restore the normal range of knee extension, enhance the extensor and correct the patella alta.