Management of Pediatric Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries: A Critical Analysis

Trends in Complications Following Pediatric Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction as Reported to the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery Part II Oral Examination Database

Background

Pediatric anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions (ACLR) have increased dramatically in recent years. However, a comprehensive list of short-term complications related to this procedure has yet to be reported. This study aimed to report complication rates in pediatric ACLR using submissions to the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS) Part II Oral Examination. A secondary goal was to assess the relationship of complications with patient sex, geographic region of surgery, surgical volume, and surgeon fellowship training.

Methods

A query was submitted to the ABOS Part II Oral Examination Case List Database for all ACLR performed in patients younger than 19 years between 2000 and 2021. Surgeon fellowship training, geographic region of surgery, and patient demographics were included, along with medical, surgical, and anesthetic complications, reoperation, and readmission. Statistic comparisons used chi-square tests for categorical variables with significance set at P < 0.05.

Results

Surgical complications were the most common type of complication, present in 10.1% of pediatric ACLR. Stiffness (3.6%) and infection (1.5%) were the most prevalent surgical complications. Females had higher rates of overall complications than males (11.9% vs. 10.4%, P = 0.010). Females also had higher rates of surgical complications (10.7%-9.5%, P = 0.019) -- specifically stiffness (5.0%-2.2%, P < 0.001). However, males had higher rates of infection (1.8% vs. 1.3%, P = 0.047). Geographic analyses showed higher infection rates in Hawaii and Alaska and lower surgical complication rates in the Northwest region. Procedures completed by surgeons with a fellowship training other than Sports Medicine and/or Pediatric Orthopaedics had lower rates of overall complications (8.9%, P < 0.001) and surgical complications (8.3%, P < 0.001).

Conclusion

This study establishes that female pediatric and adolescent patients are at an increased risk for complications following ACLR. Arthrofibrosis was more than twice as common in females than in males. Geographic region and fellowship training may be associated with complications in this population.

Study design

Cross-Sectional Study.

Key Concepts

(1)Complications following ACL reconstruction may be associated with geographic region and fellowship training.(2)Females present with more short-term complications following ACL reconstruction.(3)There was a higher reported infection rate overall for surgeons in their board collection period than infection rates in the literature, with males having an overall higher infection rate than females.(4)Arthrofibrosis is more than twice as common in females than males following ACL reconstruction.

Level of Evidence

III.

Descriptive Epidemiology of Complete ACL Tears in the Skeletally Immature Population: A Prospective Multicenter PLUTO Study

BACKGROUND

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are common in pediatric and adolescent patients. Understanding this population's injury characteristics and treatment strategies is vital for managing this high-risk group.

PURPOSE

To report the descriptive epidemiology and treatment strategies of a large cohort of skeletally immature patients with complete ACL tears.

STUDY DESIGN

Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 2.

METHODS

Consecutive skeletally immature patients diagnosed with complete ACL tears were enrolled at 10 institutions across the United States. Treatment was provided by 1 of 23 participating orthopaedic surgeons. Patient characteristics (chronological and skeletal age, sex, race, and ethnicity) as well as anthropometric measures, mechanism of injury, and ACL treatment type were collected.

RESULTS

A total of 749 skeletally immature participants were included in the final cohort; the mean chronological age was 12.9 years, and 62% were male. The mean skeletal age (13.2 years) was a mean of 0.34 years (4 months) higher than the mean chronological age (P < .001). Tanner staging revealed that 18% of participants were Tanner stage 1, 20% were Tanner stage 2, 28% were Tanner stage 3, 30% were Tanner stage 4, and 4% were Tanner stage 5. Five percent of participants reported a previous ipsilateral knee injury, and 30% had a family history of ACL injuries. Sport was the predominant mechanism of injury (89%), with noncontact injuries the most common (64%). The most common sport resulting in an ACL tear among boys was American football (41%) and among girls was soccer (44%). Overall, 99.9% of skeletally immature patients were treated surgically by 1 of 4 reconstruction techniques: transphyseal (53%), partial transphyseal (7%), physeal-sparing all-epiphyseal (13%), and physeal-sparing iliotibial band (ITB) (27%). The most common surgical techniques for patients with a skeletal age <13 years were physeal sparing with ITB (56%) and all-epiphyseal (22%), while in patients with a skeletal age ≥13 years, transphyseal (71%) and physeal sparing with ITB (12%) were the most common. Overall, 57% of patients who underwent ACL reconstruction had arthroscopically documented meniscal tears, with high rates of meniscal repair (90% medial tears and 66% lateral tears).

CONCLUSION

Almost all skeletally immature patients with ACL tears were injured during sports, surgical treatment was overwhelmingly the treatment of choice, and preferred surgical techniques varied based on skeletal ages.

The posterior condyle grows in the direction of the increasing posterior condylar offset and the inclination angle of the ACL changes accordingly

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to reveal the changes in the shape of the posterior femoral condyle and the morphology of the ACL, both before and after epiphyseal closure. The hypothesis of this study is that the morphological change of the posterior femoral condyle and that of the ACL may be correlated to some extent.

METHODS

Eighty-one patients who underwent surgery for the knee joint (meniscal repair, arthroscopic synovectomy, medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction) between 2016 and 2021 were included in this study, 48 patients aged 13 years or under (before epiphysis closure; mean age: 10.9 (range: 7-13) and 33 patients aged over 18 years or over (after epiphysis closure; mean age: 21.7 (range: 18-30). The shape of the posterior femoral condyle was evaluated via lateral view radiographs, and the morphology of the ACL was measured via sagittal and coronal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images.

RESULTS

The morphology of the posterior condyle in the lateral view radiograph in patients aged 13 and under was larger in the direction of the short axis of the femur compared with that in those aged 18 and over (p < 0.001). The mean value of the inclination angle of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the sagittal plane was significantly smaller in patients aged 13 and under (41.7° ± 3.7) than in those aged 18 and over (48.5° ± 4.2) (p < 0.001). The mean values of the inclination angle of the ACL in the coronal plane were significantly smaller in patients aged 13 and under (55.7° ± 6.4) than in those aged 18 and over (63.4° ± 4.4) (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

This study evaluates and compares the shape of the posterior femoral condyle and the morphology of the ACL fiber before and after epiphyseal closure. The posterior femoral condyle grew posteriorly rather than longitudinally, and the inclination of the ACL fibers was thought to change accordingly.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level Ⅲ.

Guided Growth for Posterior Tibial Slope Correction Followed by ACL Reconstruction in an Adolescent Male: A Case Report

CASE

A 13-year-old adolescent boy presented with chronic anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) insufficiency and prior medial meniscectomy. Radiographic evaluation revealed a posterior tibial slope (PTS) of 20°, putting him at high risk of reinjury following ACL reconstruction (ACLR). Guided growth using anteriorly placed eight plates was used for 9 months, which reduced his PTS to 6°. Two months following plate removal, the patient underwent ACLR with lateral extra-articular tenodesis.

CONCLUSION

This previously proposed but never reported approach suggests that guided growth is a viable option to correct excessive PTS before ACLR in skeletally immature patients.

Approximately half of pediatric or adolescent patients undergoing revision anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction return to the same level of sport or higher: A systematic review

PURPOSE

To summarise the surgical techniques and clinical outcomes in paediatric and adolescent patients undergoing revision anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (r-ACLR).

METHODS

Three databases (MEDLINE, PubMed and EMBASE) were searched from inception to 29 July 2023. The authors adhered to the PRISMA and R-AMSTAR guidelines as well as the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. Data on demographics, surgical details, patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), rates of instability, rupture and return to sport (RTS) were extracted.

RESULTS

Eight studies comprising 706 (711 knees) patients were included (48.7% female). The mean age at r-ACLR was 17.1 years (range: 16.5-18.0). Autografts (67.5%) were more common than allografts (32.2%) in revision, with bone-patellar tendon-bone (BPTB) being the most prevalent autograft source (59.6%). Bone grafts were used in seven patients (4.8% of 146 patients). The most common femoral and tibial fixation techniques were interference screws (37.6% and 38.1%, of 244 patients, respectively). The most common tunnelling strategy was anatomic (69.1% of 236 patients), and meniscus repairs were performed in 39.7% of 256 patients. The re-rupture rate was 13.0% in 293 patients. RTS at the same level or higher was 51.6% in 219 patients. The mean (SD) Lysholm score was 88.1 (12.9) in 78 patients, the mean (SD) Tegner score was 6.0 (1.6) in 78 patients, and the mean (SD) IKDC score was 82.6 (16.0) in 126 patients.

CONCLUSION

R-ACLR in paediatric and adolescent patients predominantly uses BPTB autografts and interference screw femoral and tibial fixation with concomitant meniscal procedures. Rates of re-rupture and RTS at the same level or higher were 13.0% and 51.6%, respectively. Information from this review can provide orthopaedic surgeons with a comprehensive understanding of the most commonly used operative techniques and their outcomes for revision ACLR in this population.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level IV.