Effects of Surgical Factors on Cartilage Can Be Detected Using Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (5) ◽  
pp. 1075-1084 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keiko Amano ◽  
Alan K. Li ◽  
Valentina Pedoia ◽  
Matthew F. Koff ◽  
Aaron J. Krych ◽  
...  

Background: Quantitative magnetic resonance (qMR) can be used to measure macromolecules in tissues and is a potential method of observing early cartilage changes in the development of posttraumatic osteoarthritis. Hypothesis/Purpose: We hypothesized that specific patient and surgical factors affecting cartilage matrix composition after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction (ACLR) can be detected using T1ρ and T2 relaxation times. Our purpose was to demonstrate this ability in a multicenter feasibility study. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: A total of 54 patients who underwent ACLR underwent bilateral MRI at baseline before surgery and 6 months postoperatively. Operative findings were recorded. T1ρ and T2 relaxation times were calculated for 6 cartilage regions: the medial femur, lateral femur, medial tibia, lateral tibia, patella, and trochlea. A paired t test compared relaxation times at baseline and 6 months, univariate regression identified regions that influenced patient-reported outcome measures, and analysis of covariance was used to determine the surgical factors that resulted in elevated relaxation times at 6 months. Results: The injured knee had significantly prolonged T1ρ and T2 relaxation times in the tibiofemoral compartment at baseline and 6 months but had shorter values in the patellofemoral compartment compared with the uninjured knee. Prolonged T1ρ and T2 times at 6 months were noted for both the injured and uninjured knees. At 6 months, prolongation of T1ρ and T2 times in the tibial region was associated with lower patient-reported outcome measures. ACLR performed within 30 days of injury had significantly shorter T1ρ times in the tibial regions, and lateral meniscal tears treated with repair had significantly shorter T1ρ times than those treated with excision. Conclusion: Prolonged relaxation times in multiple regions demonstrate how the injury affects the entire joint after an ACL tear. Changes observed in the uninjured knee may be caused by increased loading during rehabilitation, especially in the patellofemoral articular cartilage and distal femur. Relaxation times in the tibial regions may be predictive of patient symptoms at 6 months. These same regions are affected by surgical timing as early as 30 days after injury, but this may partially be reflective of the severity of the preoperative injury and the choice of treatment of meniscal tears.

Author(s):  
Chee Han Ting ◽  
Corey Scholes ◽  
David Zbrojkiewicz ◽  
Christopher Bell

AbstractDespite the establishment of successful surgical techniques and rehabilitation protocols for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction, published return to sport rates are less than satisfactory. This has led orthopaedic surgeons and researchers to develop more robust patient selection methods, and investigate prognostic patient characteristics. No previous studies have integrated baseline characteristics and responses to patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) of patients with ACL rupture presenting for surgical review. Patients electing to undergo ACL reconstruction under the care of a single orthopaedic surgeon at a metropolitan public hospital were enrolled in a clinical quality registry. Patients completed Veterans RAND 12-item Health Survey (VR-12) Physical Component Summary and Mental Component Summary scores, Tegner activity scale, and International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) questionnaires at presentation. Total scores were extracted from the electronic registry, and a machine learning approach (k-means) was used to identify subgroups based on similarity of questionnaire responses. The average scores in each cluster were compared using analysis of variance (ANOVA; Kruskal–Wallis) and nominal logistic regression was performed to determine relationships between cluster membership and patient age, gender, body mass index (BMI), and injury-to-examination delay. A sample of 107 patients with primary ACL rupture were extracted, with 97 (91%) available for analysis with complete datasets. Four clusters were identified with distinct patterns of PROMs responses. These ranged from lowest (Cluster 1) to highest scores for VR-12 and IKDC (Cluster 4). In particular, Cluster 4 returned median scores within 6 points of the patient acceptable symptom state for the IKDC score for ACL reconstruction (70.1, interquartile range: 59–78). Significant (p < 0.05) differences in PROMs between clusters were observed using ANOVA, with variance explained ranging from 40 to 69%. However, cluster membership was not significantly associated with patient age, gender, BMI, or injury-to-examination delay. Patients electing to undergo ACL reconstruction do not conform to a homogenous group but represent a spectrum of knee function, general physical and mental health, and preinjury activity levels, which may not lend itself to uniform treatment and rehabilitation protocols. The factors driving these distinct responses to PROMs remain unknown but are unrelated to common demographic variables.


Author(s):  
Kanto Nagai ◽  
Elmar Herbst ◽  
Tom Gale ◽  
Yasutaka Tashiro ◽  
James J Irrgang ◽  
...  

ObjectivesControversy still exists on whether knee hyperextension affects the outcome following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACL-R). Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to determine if maximum knee extension angle of ACL-R knees and contralateral uninjured knees during walking is related to the clinical outcome following ACL-R. It was hypothesised that maximum knee extension angle would not be significantly correlated with patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) following ACL-R.MethodsForty-two patients (age at surgery: 23±9 years, 23 male and 19 female) underwent unilateral ACL-R. Twenty-four months after surgery, subjects performed level walking on a treadmill while biplane radiographs were acquired at 100 Hz. Three-dimensional tibiofemoral motion was determined using a validated model-based tracking process. Tibiofemoral rotations were calculated from foot strike through early stance. The primary kinematic outcome measure was maximum knee extension angle of ACL-R and contralateral uninjured knees during walking, with positive values indicating hyperextension. The side-to-side difference (SSD) in maximum knee extension angle was calculated by subtracting the angle of the contralateral uninjured knee from that of the ACL reconstructed knee. PROMs (International Knee Documentation Committee Subjective Knee Form, Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Score and Marx Activity Rating Scale) were obtained at 24 months after surgery. Correlations between PROMs and maximum dynamic knee extension angle in ACL-R and contralateral knee were evaluated (P<0.05).ResultsMaximum knee extension angle during walking was 2.3±4.5° in ACL-R knees and 4.3±4.2° in contralateral uninjured knees at 24 months after surgery, indicating hyperextension during walking on average. SSD in maximum knee extension angle was −2.0±3.7°. No significant correlation was observed between maximum knee extension angle and the PROMs.ConclusionMaximum knee extension angle during walking was not significantly correlated with PROMs, suggesting that clinically, physiologic knee hyperextension can be restored after ACL-R and not adversely affect PROMs.Level of evidenceLevel III.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7_suppl3) ◽  
pp. 2325967121S0004
Author(s):  
John A. Schlechter ◽  
Tanner Harrah ◽  
Bryn Gornick ◽  
Benjamin Sherman

Introduction: With participation in youth sports anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are a common occurrence. Nearly 70% of ACL tears in children and adolescents have an associated meniscus tear. Percutaneous medial collateral ligament (MCL) relaxation has been described as utilitarian in accessing the medial meniscus for diagnostic assessment and treatment in the adult population to increase medial compartment working space in arthroscopic surgery. The technique has not been evaluated in the pediatric population. The purpose of this study was to compare the outcomes of children and adolescents that underwent anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) with and without percutaneous relaxation of the medial collateral ligament (MCL) for meniscal tear management. Methods: A retrospective review was performed of patients aged 8 to 19 years old that had undergone knee arthroscopy for an (ACLR) with meniscus pathology. Those that underwent MCL relaxation were grouped together and compared to a matched cohort that did not have MCL relaxation performed. Preoperative, operative and postoperative data was analyzed. The primary measurement was obtained using a validated patient reported outcome score (Pedi-IKDC), secondary outcome measures were defined as superficial or deep infection, saphenous nerve dysesthesias, ACL graft failure and return to the operating room. Statistical analysis of the two cohorts was performed. Results: Fifty-four patients were included in the study (27 in each group) with average age 15 years (range 10-19). Average follow-up for the MCL relaxation group was 22.4 months versus 58 months for the non-MCL relaxation group. The average Pedi-IKDC score was 93.3 for the MCL relaxation group and 91.4 for the non-MCL relaxation group (p=0.34). There was no difference in patient demographics, return to the operating room (p=0.49), saphenous nerve dysesthesia (p=0.49), superficial or deep infection (p=0.32). Conclusion: ACL reconstruction in children and adolescents with MCL relaxation for the management of medial meniscal tears appears to be a safe option. Equivocal patient reported outcome scores as compared to the control group were found with no increase in post-operative complications. In children with ACL tears, appropriate diagnosis and management of medial meniscal pathology is important to maintain secondary restraint to anterior tibial translation and prevent premature graft failure. Pediatric knees can have tight medial compartments, making access difficult, potentially leading to poor visualization and iatrogenic chondral damage. Percutaneous medial collateral ligament (MCL) relaxation has been described in the adult population to increase medial compartment working space without long term sequela. We report similar findings in an all pediatric cohort.


2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesse C. Christensen ◽  
Caitlin J. Miller ◽  
Ryan D. Burns ◽  
Hugh S. West

Background:Health care payment reform has increased employers and health insurance companies’ incentive to take measures to control the rising costs of medical care in the United States. To date, limited research has investigated the influence outpatient physical therapy (PT) visits have on clinical outcomes following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) with and without a concurrent meniscal repair.Objective:To examine the relationship between the number of PT visits and patient-reported outcome scores following ACLR outpatient rehabilitation.Study Design:Retrospective cohort.Level of Evidence:2b.Methods:Patients following ACLR with (n = 62) and without (n = 328) meniscal repair were identified through an electronic medical record database.Results:Patients with more PT visits had higher knee outcome survey—activities of daily living (KOS-ADL) change scores (P = .01) following ACLR without meniscal repair. Younger patients yielded significantly higher KOS-ADL change scores (P = .05) in the same cohort. Patients in the semisupervised PT visit strata recorded an 11.1 higher KOS-ADL change score compared with patients within the unsupervised PT visit stratum (P = .02). Younger patients also yielded significantly larger reductions in numeric pain (P = .01) following ACLR without meniscal repair. No significant differences were found between PT visits and either patient-reported outcome following ACLR with meniscal repair.Conclusions:Our findings suggest that younger patients and those in a semisupervised PT visit model have superior patient-reported outcomes following ACLR without meniscal repair. Preliminary findings indicate no relationship with PT visits and patient-reported outcomes in patients after ACLR with meniscal repair surgery.Clinical Relevance:These findings promote an alternative model to outpatient PT following ACLR without meniscal repair that may be more clinically effective and value based. There appears to be a need for patients to undergo a balanced regimen of supervised PT and effective interventions that can be conducted independently.


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