The Effect of Primary ACL Reconstruction on Career Longevity in English Premier League and Championship Soccer Players Compared With Uninjured Controls: A Matched Cohort Analysis

BACKGROUND

Because of the multitude of variables that affect the retirement decisions of professional soccer players, it has proven difficult to isolate the effect of undergoing anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction (ACLR) on career longevity.

PURPOSE

To compare the career longevity of professional soccer players after a primary ACLR with that of an uninjured matched control cohort.

STUDY DESIGN

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

METHODS

A retrospective review of a consecutive series of primary ACLR was performed between 2008 and 2018 in professional male soccer players from the senior author's practice. Each athlete with ACLR was matched to 3 control athletes who had not undergone ACLR according to age, league, playing position, and preinjury game appearances/minutes played. Player career statistics-including league, game appearances, and game minutes-were compiled for each year until retirement or July 1, 2022.

RESULTS

A total of 82 soccer players in the English Premier League or Championship at the time of their primary ACLR were matched to 246 control athletes. The mean career length after ACLR was 6 ± 2.6 years, while that of the matched control athletes was 7.6 ± 2.8 years (P < .001). After primary ACLR, an athlete had a 2 times greater chance of retirement compared with the matched control athlete (hazard ratio, 2.19; P < .001). At 5 years after ACLR, 16% of athletes had retired from professional soccer, while 8.5% of the matched cohort were retired (P = .060). By 10 years, 72% of the ACLR cohort had retired compared with 43% of the matched cohort (P < .001). Forwards were more likely to have shortened careers compared with goalkeepers (P = .021); however, no significant differences were observed between midfielders, defenders, and forwards. Within the ACLR cohort, a contralateral ACL tear during the athlete's career caused a 2.30 times (P = .022) increased chance of retirement compared with athletes with only 1 ACL tear during their career. Mechanism of injury, meniscal pathology, graft rerupture, and chondral lesions did not affect career length.

CONCLUSION

Professional male soccer players who underwent ACLR had decreased career length by approximately 1.6 years compared with a matched player cohort.

Single-Strand "Short Isometric Construct" Medial Collateral Ligament Reconstruction Restores Valgus and Rotational Stability While Isolated Deep MCL and Superficial MCL Reconstruction Do Not

BACKGROUND

Historical MCL (medial collateral ligament) reconstruction (MCLR) techniques have focused on the superficial MCL (sMCL) to restore valgus stability while frequently ignoring the importance of the deep MCL (dMCL) in controlling tibial external rotation. The recent recognition of the medial ligament complex importance has multiple studies revisiting medial anatomy and questioning contemporary MCLR techniques.

PURPOSE

To assess whether (1) an isolated sMCL reconstruction (sMCLR), (2) an isolated dMCL reconstruction (dMCLR), or (3) a novel single-strand short isometric construct (SIC) would restore translational and rotational stability to a knee with a dMCL and sMCL injury.

STUDY DESIGN

Controlled laboratory study.

METHODS

Biomechanical testing was performed on 14 fresh-frozen cadaveric knee specimens using a custom multiaxial knee activity simulator. The specimens were divided into 2 groups. The first group was tested in 4 states: intact, after sectioning the sMCL and dMCL, isolated sMCLR, and isolated dMCLR. The second group was tested in 3 states: intact, after sectioning the sMCL and dMCL, and after single-strand SIC reconstruction (SICR). In each state, 4 loading conditions were applied at 0°, 20°, 40°, 60°, and 90° of knee flexion: 8-N·m valgus torque, 5-N·m external rotation torque, 90-N anterior drawer, and combined 90-N anterior drawer plus 5-N·m tibial external rotation torque. Anterior translation, valgus rotation, and external rotation of the knee were measured for each state and loading condition using an optical motion capture system.

RESULTS

sMCL and dMCL transection resulted in increased laxity for all loading conditions at all flexion angles. Isolated dMCLR restored external rotation stability to intact levels throughout all degrees of flexion, yet valgus stability was restored only at 0° of flexion. Isolated sMCLR restored valgus and external rotation stability at 0°, 20°, and 40° of flexion but not at 60° or 90° of flexion. Single-strand SICR restored valgus and external rotation stability at all flexion angles. In the combined anterior drawer plus external rotation test, isolated dMCL and single-strand SICR restored stability to the intact level at all flexion angles, while the isolated sMCL restored stability at 20° and 40° of flexion but not at 60° or 90° of flexion.

CONCLUSION

In the cadaveric model, single-strand SICR restored valgus and rotational stability throughout the range of motion. dMCLR restored rotational stability to the knee throughout the range of motion but did not restore valgus stability. Isolated sMCLR restored external rotation and valgus stability in early flexion.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

In patients with anteromedial rotatory instability in the knee, neither an sMCLR nor a dMCLR is sufficient to restore stability.

Insufficient Evidence for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Utilizing Suture Tape Augmentation: A Systematic Review of Clinical Outcomes at Minimum 1-Year Follow-up

PURPOSE

To perform a systematic review of clinical studies to directly compare clinical outcomes of patients undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) with versus without suture tape (ST) augmentation.

METHODS

A systematic review was performed by searching PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and Embase to identify comparative studies directly comparing outcomes of ACLR with versus without ST augmentation with a minimum follow-up of 12 months. The search terms used were anterior cruciate ligament suture tape. Patients were evaluated based on graft failure rates, return to sport (RTS), anteroposterior (AP) laxity, and patient-reported outcomes (PROs).

RESULTS

Five studies (all Level III) met inclusion criteria, including a total of 246 patients undergoing ACLR with ST augmentation (SA group) and 282 patients undergoing ACLR without augmentation (control group). Patient age ranged from 14.9 to 29.7 years. The mean follow-up time ranged from 24.0 to 48.6 months. The mean body mass index ranged from 25.3 to 26.3 kg/m2 and the overall percentage of males ranged from 43.4% to 69.0%. Overall, the graft failure rate ranged from 1.0% to 25.0% in the SA group and 8.0% to 20.0% in the control group. Among the studies that reported RTS rates, the rate ranged from 69.2% to 88.9% in the SA group and 51.5% to 87.5% in the control group. Among all PROs, 2 studies found a significant difference in the Tegner score favoring the SA group. Otherwise, no significant differences were found between groups in terms of PROs. No significant differences in AP laxity were found between groups within any particular study. There was heterogeneity between studies regarding surgical techniques, postoperative rehabilitation protocols, and reported PROs.

CONCLUSIONS

There is insufficient evidence to suggest that patients undergoing ACLR with ST augmentation may experience favorable clinical outcomes compared with ACLR alone.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level III, systematic review of Level III studies.

Determinants of Performance in Professional Soccer Players at 2 and 5 Years After ACL Reconstruction

BACKGROUND

A number of studies have investigated return to play after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) in professional soccer players, but it is unclear which factors are associated with a return to the preinjury performance and ability to play over time.

PURPOSE

To identify factors that contribute to a professional soccer player's return to preinjury performance after ACLR, as well as to report their playing performance at 2 and 5 years after ACLR compared with their preinjury performance.

STUDY DESIGN

Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3.

METHODS

A consecutive cohort of professional soccer players undergoing primary ACLR were analyzed between 2005 and 2019. A minimum 2-year follow-up was required. The effect of patient, surgical, and postoperative factors on performance rates, defined as a combination of league level and playing time, was evaluated with univariate and multivariate logistic regression models.

RESULTS

A total of 200 male professional soccer players were included. When combining league level and playing time, 30% of athletes returned to their preinjury performance at 2 years and 22% at 5 years. However, 53% of athletes returned to their preinjury performance for at least 1 season by year 5. At 2 years, a chondral lesion of grade 3 or 4 decreased the odds of return to preinjury performance (odds ratio [OR], 0.37; P = .010). Athletes receiving an ACLR with the addition of a lateral extra-articular tenodesis procedure were 2.42 times more likely to return to preinjury performance at 2 years than athletes with ACLR alone (P = .004). By 5 years after ACLR, athletes aged ≥25 years at the time of reconstruction were 3 times less likely to be performing at their preinjury performance (OR, 0.32; P < .001), and those with a grade ≥3 chondral lesion were >2 times less likely to be performing at their preinjury performance (OR, 0.43; P = .033).

CONCLUSION

The presence of >50% thickness chondral pathology, ACLR without lateral extra-articular tenodesis, and age >25 years at the time of surgery were all significant risk factors of worse performance rates after ACLR. Significant decreases in performance rates were noted at 2 and 5 years postoperatively.

A Comparison of All-inside and Inside-out Meniscal Repair in Elite Athletes

BACKGROUND

The popularization of all-inside (AI) meniscal repair devices has led to a shift away from the historical gold standard of inside-out (IO) meniscal repair without comparative studies to support the change.

PURPOSE

To compare the failure rate and time to failure of AI and IO meniscal repair performed in elite athletes.

STUDY DESIGN

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

METHODS

A retrospective review was performed of all professional and national- and international-level amateur athletes who underwent meniscal repair, with a minimum of 2-year follow-up between January 2013 and September 2019. Meniscal repair was classified as AI or IO depending on the surgical technique performed. Treatment failure was defined as patients having to undergo subsequent surgery to address a persistent meniscal tear after repair. Cox proportional hazards modeling was used to determine if meniscal repair failure rates differed by the location and technique of meniscal repair. Models were controlled for known risk factors such as age, sex, sport, and concurrent cruciate ligament reconstruction.

RESULTS

A total of 192 (135 lateral and 57 medial) meniscal repairs were performed in elite athletes during the study period. Overall, 41 (21%) meniscal repairs met the criteria for failure. Medial meniscal tears repaired with the AI technique failed at a significantly higher rate (18/31 [58%]) than medial meniscal tears repaired with the IO technique (6/26 [23%]) or lateral meniscal tears repaired with the AI (9/76 [12%]) or IO (8/59 [14%]) technique (P < .001). Cox proportional hazards modeling revealed that a medial meniscal tear repaired with the AI technique had an almost 8 times greater hazard of failure than a lateral meniscal tear repaired with the AI technique (P < .001). At 1 year postoperatively, 8% of lateral meniscal repairs had failed (regardless of technique), while medial meniscal tears failed at a rate of 16% with the IO technique and 42% with the AI technique. By 2 years, 53% of medial meniscal tears repaired with the AI technique had failed, and by 5 years, 63% had failed.

CONCLUSION

AI repair of medial meniscal tears led to a higher rate of failure than IO repair of medial or lateral meniscal tears in elite athletes. Medial meniscal repair failed at a higher rate than lateral meniscal repair.

Rebranding the 'anatomic' ACL reconstruction: Current concepts

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is a complex ribbon-like structure, which is approximately 3.5 times larger at the tibial and femoral insertions than at the midpoint. Accordingly, it is impossible to recreate with a single cylindrical graft. However, this has not stopped surgeons from using the term "anatomic" to describe multiple ACL reconstruction techniques inserting at a number of different locations within the original ACL footprint, causing confusion. The term "anatomic" should be discarded and replaced by an anatomic description of the tunnel placements on the tibia and femur. Current ACL reconstruction techniques cite anatomical studies that identified "direct and indirect fibres" of the ACL. The "direct fibres" bear 85-95% of the load and provide the main resistance to both anterior tibial translation and internal rotation/pivot shift. On the femur, these fibres insert in a line just posterior to the intercondylar ridge and comprise the portion of the ACL that surgeons should strive to restore. Placement of the graft just posterior to the intercondylar ridge creates a line of placement options from the anteromedial bundle to the "central" position and finally to the posterolateral bundle position. The authors prefer placing the femoral tunnel in the isometric anteromedial position and addressing a high-grade pivot shift at the IT-band with a lateral extra-articular tenodesis. As with the femoral tunnel, the native ACL footprint on the tibia is much larger than the ACL graft and thus can be placed in multiple "anatomic" locations. The authors prefer placement of the tibial tunnel in the anterior most position of the native footprint that does not cause impingement in the femoral notch. Additional research is needed to determine the ideal tunnel positions on the femur and tibia and validating the technique with patient outcomes. However, this cannot be accomplished without describing tunnel placement with specific anatomical locations so other surgeons can replicate the technique.

A "Short Isometric Construct" Reconstruction Technique for the Medial Collateral Ligament of the Knee

Recently there has been increased focus on the medial collateral ligament (MCL) and the role the medial ligament complex plays in preventing valgus and external rotation, especially in the setting of a combined ligament injury. Multiple surgical techniques purport to reproduce "normal anatomy"; however, only one technique addresses the deep MCL fibers and the prevention of external rotation. Thus we describe the "short isometric construct" MCL reconstruction which is stiffer than the anatomic reconstructions. The "short isometric construct" technique resists valgus throughout range of motion whereas its obliquity resists tibial external rotation, helping to reduce the risk of anterior cruciate ligament graft re-rupture.

Rates and Levels of Elite Sport Participation at 5 Years After Revision ACL Reconstruction

BACKGROUND

There is a paucity of data regarding return to play (RTP), level of competition, and longevity of play after revision of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction (ACLR) in elite athletes.

PURPOSE

To report RTP rates and competition levels in elite athletes at the point of RTP, as well as at 2 and 5 years after revision ACLR, and the effect of meniscal and chondral pathology at revision surgery on these outcomes.

STUDY DESIGN

Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

METHODS

A retrospective review of a consecutive series of all revision ACLRs undertaken by the senior author between 2009 and 2019, with a minimum 2-year follow-up, was carried out. Outcome measures were RTP rates and competition level.

RESULTS

A total of 49 knees in 48 elite athletes met the inclusion criteria. After revision ACLR, 43 (87.8%) elite athletes achieved RTP, of whom 75.5% were at the same level. At 2 years after surgery, 39 (79.6%) were still playing, 25 (51%) at the same level; at 5 years after surgery, 20 (44.4%) were still playing, 9 (20%) at the same level. Elite athletes with <50% thickness or no articular cartilage lesions were more likely to RTP (94.6% vs 66.7%; P = .026), as well as return to the same competition level (83.8% vs 50%; P = .047), compared with those with ≥50% thickness chondral lesions. Those without medial meniscal pathology were more likely to RTP at the same level after revision surgery (94.4% vs 64.5%; P = .036). The median time elite athletes continued to play after revision ACLR was 73 months (95% CI, 43.4-102.6); 23 months at the same level (95% CI, 13.6-32.4). The probability of still playing at 5 years after surgery was 55.9%, with a 22.5% chance of maintaining preinjury competition level.

CONCLUSION

In elite athletes, RTP rates and competition level decreased over time after revision ACLR. The presence of >50% thickness chondral pathology was associated with lower RTP rates and competition level at RTP time, while medial meniscal pathology was associated with lower competition level at RTP.

Effect of Lateral Extra-articular Tenodesis on the Rate of Revision Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in Elite Athletes

BACKGROUND

There is growing evidence that anterolateral procedures can reduce the risk of rerupture in high-risk recreational athletes undergoing primary anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction (ACLR). However, this effectiveness has never been evaluated in elite athletes.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of lateral extra-articular tenodesis (LET) in reducing revision rates in primary ACLR in elite athletes. Additionally, this study evaluated whether LET had a greater effect when combined with ACLR utilizing a hamstring or patellar tendon graft.

STUDY DESIGN

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

METHODS

A consecutive cohort of elite athletes with an isolated ACL tear undergoing autograft patellar or hamstring tendon reconstruction with or without Lemaire LET were analyzed between 2005 and 2018. A minimum 2-year follow-up was required. The association between the use of LET and ACL graft failure as defined by revision ACLR was evaluated with univariate and multivariate logistic regression models.

RESULTS

A total of 455 elite athletes (83% men and overall age 22.5 ± 4.7 years) underwent primary ACLR with (n = 117) or without (n = 338) a LET procedure. Overall, 36 athletes (7.9%) experienced ACL graft failure, including 32 (9.5%) reconstructions without a LET and 4 (3.4%) with a LET. Utilization of LET during primary ACLR reduced the risk of graft failure by 2.8 times, with 16.5 athletes needing LET to prevent a single ACL graft failure. Multivariate models showed that LET significantly reduced the risk of graft rupture (relative risk = 0.325; P = .029) as compared with ACLR alone after controlling for sex and age at ACLR. Including graft type in the model did not significantly change the risk profile, and although a patellar tendon graft had a slightly lower risk of failure, this was not statistically significant (P = .466).

CONCLUSION

The addition of LET reduced the risk of undergoing revision by 2.8 times in elite athletes undergoing primary ACLR. This risk reduction did not differ significantly between the patellar tendon and hamstring tendon autografts. With these results, status as an elite athlete should be included in the indications for a LET, as they are at increased risk for ACL graft failure.

High return to play rate following treatment of multiple-ligament knee injuries in 136 elite athletes

PURPOSE

The purpose of the study is to assess return to play rate and timing of elite athletes treated for multi-ligament knee injuries with modern surgical techniques.

METHODS

A retrospective review was performed of all professional or national/international level athletes treated for a multi-ligament knee injury by the senior author in the period from February 2001 to October 2019, with a minimum of 2-year follow-up. The study cohort consisted of 136 elite athletes who underwent surgery of two or more knee ligaments. Outcomes measures were return to play (RTP), defined as return to elite level sport, return to play time, and further surgical procedures.

RESULTS

One hundred and twenty (88.2%) athletes returned to elite level sport at an average of 12.8 months from operation. In unicruciate injuries, ACL and PCL-based injuries had similar return to play rates (89.1% vs. 87.5% respectfully, n.s.) although mean RTP time was longer in those with PCL-based injuries (15.2 vs. 11.9 months, p < 0.01). Bicruciate injuries had longer RTP times compared to unicruciate injuries (mean RTP 16.0vs. 12.4 months, p < 0.05) but were able to return at a similar rate (83.3% vs. 88.9%, n.s.). Medial and lateral sided injuries had similar RTP rates (89.3% vs. 87.9%, n.s.) though lateral sided injuries took longer before returning to play (13.4 vs. 11.6 months, p < 0.05). Further surgery was required in 54 (39.9%) patients including 25 (18.4%) manipulations under anaesthesia. Four (2.9%) of the athletes underwent revision ligament surgery.

CONCLUSION

Modern surgical techniques used in the treatment of multi-ligament knee injuries can lead to high return to play rates in elite athletes.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

IV.

Factors affecting return to play and graft re-rupture after primary ACL reconstruction in professional footballers

PURPOSE

Modern ACL reconstruction (ACL-R) techniques have led to improved outcomes in professional footballers. The aim of this study was to identify and assess patient, surgical and post-operative factors that affected rates and time to return to play (RTP) as well as ACL re-rupture rates.

METHODS

A retrospective review of consecutive ACL-R undertaken in professional footballers between 2005 and 2018.

RESULTS

Two-hundred and thirty-two knees in 215 professional footballers (17 bilateral) were included. 205 (88.9%) were male and average age at surgery was 23.3 ± 4.4 years. Two-hundred and twenty-two (96.1%) returned to professional football, with 209 (90.1%) returning to the same or higher Tegner level. Subgroup analysis revealed three factors that independently affected RTP rate: (1) Players under 25 years had a higher rate of RTP (99.3% vs 90.2%. p = 0.001); (2) a subsequent operation prior to RTP decreased RTP rate from 98.2 to 89.7% (p = 0.009).; (3) undergoing meniscal surgery at ACL-R decreased RTP rate (p = 0.002). The mean time to RTP from surgery was 10.5 ± 3.6 months. Factors found to increase RTP time included age under 25 (11.0 vs 9.7 months, p = 0.005), recurrent effusions (11.4 vs 10.2 months, p = 0.035), and medial meniscal repair at ACL-R compared to meniscectomy (12.5 vs 9.6 months, p = 0.022). The surgical technique varied over the study period in relation to graft type, femoral tunnel position and addition of lateral extra-articular tenodesis (LET). Overall, the re-rupture rate was 8.2% at 2 years. Patella tendon autograft in an anteromedial bundle femoral tunnel position with addition of LET has the lowest re-rupture rate (2.0%).

CONCLUSION

Primary ACL-R in professional footballers yields high rates of RTP (96.1%), with 90.1% at the same level or higher, at a mean 10.5 months. Patients under 25 years not only had a significantly higher RTP rate, but also had a lengthier period of rehabilitation.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level IV.

Evidence-based rationale for treatment of meniscal lesions in athletes

Meniscal injuries in elite athletes are a common cause of missed game time and even have the potential to be career shortening. In this patient group, care must be paid not only to the pathology, but also to a player's contract status, time in the season, specific demands of his/her sport and position on the field, and future consequences. Successful treatment requires the clinician to understand the player's goals and needs, communicate effectively between all stakeholders, and a have knowledge of the challenges posed by the different types of meniscal tear seen in this population. Paramount is the distinction between injuries to the medial and lateral meniscus. Deficiency of the lateral meniscus, as a result of a tear or a meniscectomy, leads to frequent early problems and inexorably to chondral degeneration thereby affecting an athlete's ability to perform. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to repair the majority of lateral meniscal tears. Medial meniscal tears pose a more challenging treatment dilemma, as the success of partial meniscectomy in achieving reproducible, early return to play must be balanced against the long-term degenerative consequences. Many meniscal tears are correctly treated non-operatively.Level of evidence V.

Single-Stage Revision Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: Experience With 91 Patients (40 Elite Athletes) Using an Algorithm

BACKGROUND

The increased prevalence of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction has led to an increased need for revision ACL reconstructions. Despite the growing body of literature indicating that single-stage revision ACL reconstruction can yield good outcomes, there is a lack of data for determining when and how to safely perform a single-stage revision.

PURPOSE

To assess the outcomes, graft failure rates, and return-to-play rates of a decision-making algorithm for single-stage revision ACL reconstruction.

STUDY DESIGN

Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

METHODS

We reviewed a consecutive series of revision ACL reconstructions performed by the senior author between September 2009 and July 2016 with minimum 2-year follow-up. All patients were assessed, and decision making was undertaken according to the algorithm. Outcomes measured were further surgery, graft rerupture, re-revision, Tegner score, and Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS). For the elite athlete population, return-to-play time, duration, and level of play after surgery as compared with preinjury were also determined.

RESULTS

During this period, 93 procedures were performed in 92 patients (40 elite athletes). Two 2-stage procedures were undertaken, leaving 91 single-stage procedures (91 patients) to form the basis for further study. At a mean 4.3 years (SD, 2.2 years) after surgery, there had been 2 re-revisions (2.2%) and 2 further instances of graft failure that had not been re-revised (total graft failure rate, 4.4%). There were 17 subsequent procedures, including 6 arthroscopic partial meniscectomies, 5 removals of prominent implants, and 1 total knee arthroplasty. The mean Tegner score was 8.02 before graft rerupture and 7.1 at follow-up. At follow-up, the mean KOOS outcomes were 79.3 for Symptoms, 88.0 for Pain, 94.2 for Activities of Daily Living, 73.6 for Sport, and 68.9 for Quality of Life. Of 40 elite athletes, 35 returned to play at a mean 11.2 months (SD, 3.6 months) after surgery.

CONCLUSION

Single-stage revision ACL reconstructions can be performed reliably in the majority of patients, with good clinical outcomes, low rerupture rates, and high-return-to play rates, even in the elite athlete population.

Superior capsule reconstruction using dermal allograft: early outcomes and survival

BACKGROUND

Superior capsule reconstruction (SCR) has shown promising outcomes in its initial description, but lacks additional reports analyzing outcomes. This study analyzes early outcomes of SCRs in patients with massive irreparable rotator cuff tears.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis of all SCRs at our institution from January 1, 2015, to August 31, 2017, was performed with a minimum 6-months follow-up. A total of 34 patients were included with a mean age of 60 years. SCR was performed by 1 of 6 fellowship trained surgeons.

RESULTS

At an average follow-up of 12 months, 22 patients were identified as failures after modified Neer classification. Furthermore, 8 of these patients have undergone a reoperation, whereas an additional 14 patients were considered clinical failures experiencing continued pain and a lack of shoulder function. Of note, 2 of the 3 patients with a subscapularis tear had a failure. In addition, revision cases, female gender, increased fatty infiltration in the infraspinatus and low surgeon volume were associated with a higher rate of failure. There was no significant improvement in range of motion or functional scores.

CONCLUSION

SCR performed for large-to-massive irreparable rotator cuff tears has a high rate of persistent pain and poor function leading to clinical failure in 65% of patients. Risk factors predicting clinical failure included revision cases, female gender, increased Goutallier fatty infiltration of the infraspinatus, and low surgeon volume (n ≤ 10).

A reduction in the rate of nerve injury after Latarjet: a before-after study after neuromonitoring

BACKGROUND

Neurologic dysfunction is a known complication after the open Latarjet procedure. Although the reported clinical incidence is variable, a prior neuromonitoring study demonstrated a significant incidence of nerve dysfunction during surgery, presumably from nerve stretch. We aimed to determine whether a nerve stretch-reduction protocol reduced the incidence of neurologic injury after the open Latarjet procedure.

METHODS

In a nonrandomized study, 38 patients (group 1) who underwent surgery before our neuromonitoring study were compared with 48 patients (group 2) who underwent surgery after this study. Follow-up was at least 3 months or until documented resolution of nerve dysfunction.

RESULTS

There were no significant demographic differences between the groups. In group 1, there were 7 nerve injuries, of which all but 2 recovered. In group 2, there were 3 nerve injuries, of which all but 1 recovered. The overall incidence of nerve injury was 18.4% (group 1) vs. 6.3% (group 2); however, the incidence of permanent motor dysfunction was 5.3% (group 1) vs. 2.1% (group 2). These differences were not significant, likely due to the small number of patients included.

CONCLUSIONS

We observed a reduction of nerve injury with the implementation of a nerve stretch-reduction protocol during the Latarjet procedure; however, we could not demonstrate statistical significance. This trend represents an important finding that modification of surgical technique can reduce the incidence of nerve injury with the Latarjet procedure.

Anteroposterior Knee Stability During Stair Descent

This study examined the influence of tibio-femoral conformity on anteroposterior (AP) knee stability during stair descent, particularly with a dished cruciate sacrificing (CS) design. A joint simulator simulated stair descent of cadaveric knees. Tibio-femoral displacement was measured. Knees were tested in intact, ACL-deficient, and TKA with cruciate-retaining (CR), CS and posterior-stabilizing (PS) inserts. Loading during stair descent simulation caused femur displacement anteriorly prior to quadriceps contraction. Quadriceps contraction reestablished the initial femoral AP position. During simulated stair descent, AP stability was restored using PS, CR or CS inserts with an intact PCL. The CS design without the PCL did not provide AP stability. Increasing quadriceps force to restore AP stability may explain the clinical findings of pain and fatigue experienced by some patients after TKA.