Advantages of an Attached Semitendinosus Tendon Graft in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in a Rabbit Model

2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (13) ◽  
pp. 3227-3236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaohua Liu ◽  
Yaying Sun ◽  
Fang Wan ◽  
Zheci Ding ◽  
Shiyi Chen ◽  
...  

Background: The semitendinosus tendon graft with an intact tibial insertion has a sustainable blood supply and might be beneficial for graft maturation after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR); however, its potential advantages for graft tendon-bone healing is still unclear. Hypothesis: Intact tibial insertion of the hamstring tendon can preserve enough blood supply to keep the harvested tendon alive, which can improve tendon-bone healing and the biomechanical strength of the graft. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: Sixty-four healthy New Zealand White rabbits underwent unilateral ACLR with a semitendinosus tendon autograft after random enrollment into 2 groups (study group, n = 32 rabbits with semitendinosus tendon–preserved tibial insertions; control group, n = 32 rabbits with free semitendinosus tendons). At weeks 3, 6, 12, and 24, 8 rabbits in each group were sacrificed to evaluate tendon-bone healing by histologic staining, micro–computed tomography (micro-CT) examination, and biomechanical test. Results: The grafts in the study group maintained a similar cell count with no signs of necrosis or hypocellularity across all time points, but the grafts in the control group underwent a characteristic stage of necrosis at weeks 3 and 6. Sharpey-like fibers were observed from postoperative 3 weeks at the tendon-bone interface in the study group, and a normal insertion-like structure was formed at week 12, which became more mature at week 24. In the control group, however, Sharpey-like fibers could not be observed until week 12, and a normal transition through cartilage from bone to tendon was not observed at any time point. Histologic scores of the tendon-bone interface in the study group were significantly higher than those in the control group at week 6 ( P = .04), week 12 ( P < .001), and week 24 ( P = .04). As compared with the control group via micro-CT, the study group had a significantly smaller bone tunnel area at week 6 ( P = .01) and larger bone volume/total volume at week 3 ( P = .0026) and week 6 ( P = .01). Also, the study group had a significantly higher failure load at weeks 12 and 24 (both P = .03) and a significantly higher stiffness at week 24 ( P < .001) versus the control group. Conclusion: The semitendinosus tendon graft with an intact tibial insertion in ACLR would bypass the graft avascular necrosis stage, which improves tendon-bone healing and biomechanical strength. Clinical Relevance: An alive graft in ACLR could improve tendon-bone healing and the biomechanical strength of the graft, which might be beneficial to early and intensive rehabilitation after ACLR.

2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (5) ◽  
pp. 1143-1149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaohua Liu ◽  
Hong Li ◽  
Hongyue Tao ◽  
Yaying Sun ◽  
Shiyi Chen ◽  
...  

Background: The hamstring tendons are commonly harvested for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction with detachment of the tibial insertion. Retaining the insertion may help to preserve vascularity and viability of the graft and bypass the stages of avascular necrosis and revascularization, which might be beneficial to graft maturity. Purpose: To investigate and compare graft maturity by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) after ACL reconstruction with preservation or detachment of hamstring tendon tibial insertion at up to 2 years. Study Design: Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 2. Methods: Forty-five patients (age range, 18-45 years) undergoing isolated ACL reconstruction with hamstring tendon were enrolled and randomized to 2 groups. The tibial insertion of the hamstring tendon was preserved in the study group (n = 21) and detached in the control group (n = 24). Patients had follow-up at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months, which consisted of the following: (1) clinical examination and (2) MRI evaluation of graft signal intensity based on signal/noise quotient (SNQ) values. Finally, 18 patients in the study group and 19 in the control group received full follow-up evaluation (ie, at all 4 time points). Results: All knees acquired full range of motion at 24 months without significant laxity. At each time point, the KT-1000 arthrometer revealed no significant difference between groups; the clinical scores significantly improved in both groups, although the difference between groups was not significant. In the control group, the SNQ value increased from 3 months, peaked at 6 months, and then decreased (3 months, 21.4 ± 12.7; 6 months, 25.6 ± 12; 12 months, 18.3 ± 7.7; 24 months, 15.3 ± 6.3). However, the insertion-preserved graft in the study group maintained relatively lower and unchanged signal intensity throughout all time points (3 months, 15.0 ± 11.2; 6 months, 14.9 ± 6.3; 12 months, 12.6 ± 7.0; 24 months, 14.6 ± 7.0). Between groups, there was no significant difference at 3 or 24 months ( P = .11 and .75, respectively), while the SNQ values were significantly lower in the study group versus the control group at 6 and 12 months ( P = .002 and .02, respectively). Conclusion: The insertion-detached hamstring tendon grafts underwent a significantly increasing change in signal intensity during the first 2 years after ACL reconstruction, while the insertion-preserved grafts kept a relatively lower and unchanged signal intensity. The difference was most significant at 6 and 12 months postoperatively.


2021 ◽  
pp. 036354652098197
Author(s):  
Akira Tsujii ◽  
Yasukazu Yonetani ◽  
Kazutaka Kinugasa ◽  
Tomohiko Matsuo ◽  
Kenji Yoneda ◽  
...  

Background: Meniscal function after repair of longitudinal tears of the lateral meniscus (LM) with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) has not been comprehensively investigated. Purpose: To evaluate not only the clinical outcomes and radiographic findings of patients who underwent repair of longitudinal tears of the LM combined with ACLR but also the healing status of the repaired meniscus and changes in chondral status with second-look arthroscopy. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: Among 548 patients who underwent primary anatomic ACLR at our institution between 2010 and 2017, 39 who had concomitant longitudinal tears of the LM and underwent repair were studied. During follow-up for more than 2 years, all patients were evaluated clinically (pain, range of motion, swelling, and knee instability) and with imaging (plain radiograph and magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]), and compared with a matched control group (based on age, sex, body mass index, and follow-up period) without any concomitant injuries who underwent ACLR. Measurements on MRI were recorded preoperatively, immediately after surgery, and at final follow-up, and the change in the values over time was assessed. Of the 39 patients in each group, 24 were assessed by second-look arthroscopy with hardware removal 2 years postoperatively. Results: The mean follow-up times of the study and control group were at a mean of 42.4 and 45.4 months, respectively. There were no significant differences in clinical findings, lateral joint space narrowing on radiographs, and chondral status at the lateral compartment between groups, whereas lateral and posterior meniscal extrusion on MRI progressed significantly in the study group (0.43 ± 1.0 mm vs -0.29 ± 1.1 mm, P = .003; 1.9 ± 1.9 mm vs 0.14 ± 1.1 mm, P < .0001, respectively). Second-look arthroscopy revealed complete healing in 12 patients (50%), partial healing in 9 (37.5%), and failure in 3 (12.5%) in the study group, and no new tear in the control group. Conclusion: The clinical and imaging outcomes after repair of longitudinal tears of the LM combined with anatomic ACLR were successful and comparable with those after isolated ACLR without any other injuries at 42 months postoperatively, although meniscal extrusion showed progression on coronal/sagittal MRI. Based on the MRI findings and the result that only half of patients achieved complete healing, meniscal function could not be fully restored even after repair. Although degenerative changes were not apparent, longer-term follow-up is needed.


2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (11) ◽  
pp. 1094-1101
Author(s):  
Jiangyu Cai ◽  
Fang Wan ◽  
Chengchong Ai ◽  
Wenhe Jin ◽  
Dandan Sheng ◽  
...  

AbstractAn enlarged bone tunnel may affect the graft–bone integration and pose a problem for revision anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of remnant preservation on tibial tunnel enlargement in ACL reconstruction with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) artificial ligament. Twenty-four skeletally mature male beagles underwent ACL reconstruction with PET artificial ligament for both knees. One knee was reconstructed with remnant preservation using sleeve technique (remnant group), while the contralateral was reconstructed without remnant preservation (control group). The animals were sacrificed at 1 day, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks after surgery for further evaluation including macroscopic observation, microcomputed tomography (micro-CT), histological assessment, and biomechanical testing. The remnant group had better synovial coverage than the control group at 6 and 12 weeks after surgery. The micro-CT analysis showed the tibial tunnel area (TTA) of the remnant group was significantly smaller and the bone volume/total volume fraction (BV/TV) value was higher than those of the control group at 6 and 12 weeks. Moreover, TTA and BV/TV at each time point were divided into three groups according to the different grade of synovial coverage. Significant association was observed between the synovial coverage degree and the TTA and BV/TV values. The histological assessment revealed that the interface width between the graft and host bone in the remnant group was smaller than that in the control group in the tibial tunnels at 6 and 12 weeks. Moreover, the remnant group had better failure load and stiffness than the control group at 12 weeks. The remnant preservation using sleeve technique could effectively promote the synovial coverage of the graft, decrease the risk of tibial tunnel enlargement by sealing the bone tunnel entrance, and enhance the biological environment for graft–bone healing after ACL reconstruction using PET artificial ligament. This technique provides a potential solution for bone tunnel enlargement following artificial ligament surgery for the acute ACL rupture in the clinical practice.


2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 573-580 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guan-yang Song ◽  
Hui Zhang ◽  
Jin Zhang ◽  
Zhi-jun Zhang ◽  
Tong Zheng ◽  
...  

Background: Anterior tibial subluxation (ATS) in extension after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury highlights an increased anterior position of the tibia relative to the femur. Recent studies demonstrated that subluxation is sometimes irreducible and the normal tibiofemoral relationship is not restored by ACL reconstruction (ACLR), which raises concerns regarding clinical outcomes after ACLR. Hypothesis: Excessive preoperative ATS in extension is associated with inferior knee stability after anatomic ACLR. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: From March 2016 to January 2017, a total of 487 consecutive patients with clinically diagnosed noncontact ACL injuries who underwent primary anatomic ACLR were retrospectively analyzed. Of these patients, 430 met the criteria for inclusion in this study. Anterior subluxation of the lateral and medial compartments (ASLC and ASMC) in extension relative to the femoral condyles was measured on preoperative magnetic resonance imaging. Twenty patients (study group) who demonstrated excessive (>10 mm) ASLC and ASMC in extension were matched 1:2 to 40 participants (control group) who showed minimal or no (<3 mm) ASLC and ASMC in extension. The amount of ASLC and ASMC in extension relative to the femoral condyles at 2 years postoperatively was the primary outcome. Moreover, the Lysholm score, IKDC grade (International Knee Documentation Committee), and stability assessments (pivot-shift test and KT-1000 arthrometer side-to-side difference) were evaluated preoperatively and at the last follow-up visit. Results: The preoperative mean ASLC and ASMC in extension of the study group were both significantly larger than those of the control group (study group vs control group: ASLC, 13.5 mm vs 1.2 mm; ASMC, 12.4 mm vs 1.0 mm; P < .05). Moreover, patients in the study group showed significantly larger posterior tibial slope than the patients in the control group (17.8°± 2.5° vs 9.5°± 1.5°; P < .05). At the final follow-up visit, the mean ASLC and ASMC of the study group were 8.1 mm and 7.3 mm, which were significantly larger than those of the control group (ASLC, 0.9 mm; ASMC, 0.7 mm; P < .05). In addition, the study group showed inferior knee stability when compared with the control group in terms of both the pivot-shift test (study group vs control group: 2 grade 2, 10 grade 1, and 8 grade 0 vs 1 grade 1 and 39 grade 0; P < .05) and the KT-1000 arthrometer side-to-side difference (study group vs control group: 4.4 ± 1.2 mm vs 1.5 ± 0.6 mm; P < .05). Furthermore, the study group showed significantly lower mean Lysholm score (study group vs control group: 80.3 ± 6.3 vs 93.3 ± 4.3, P < .05) and IKDC grading results (study group vs control group: 3 grade C, 16 grade B, and 1 grade A vs 3 grade B and 37 grade A; P < .05) as compared with the control group. Conclusion: In this short-term study, the excessive (>10 mm) preoperative ATS in extension after ACL injury was associated with inferior knee stability after anatomic ACLR.


2014 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 271-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lazar Stijak ◽  
Marko Bumbasirevic ◽  
Marko Kadija ◽  
Gordana Stankovic ◽  
Richard Herzog ◽  
...  

Background/Aim. The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is the most frequently injured ligament of the knee, representing 50% of all knee injuries. The aim of this study was to determine the differences in the morphometry of knee injury patients with an intact and a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament. Methods. The study included 33 matched pairs of patients divided into two groups: the study group with the diagnosis of anterior cruciate ligament rupture, and the control group with the diagnosis of patellofemoral pain but no anterior cruciate ligament lesion. The patients were matched on the basis of 4 attributes: age, sex, type of lesion (whether it was profession- related), and whether the lesion was left- or right-sided. Measurements were carried out using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Results. The anterior and posterior edges of the anterior cruciate ligament in the control group were highly significantly smaller (p < 0.01; in both cases). The control group showed a statistically significantly larger width of the anterior cruciate ligament (p < 0.05). A significant correlation between the width of the anterior cruciate ligament and the width (p < 0.01) and height (p < 0.05) of the intercondylar notch was found to exist in the control group, but not in the study group (p > 0.05). The patients in the control group showed a shorter but wider anterior cruciate ligament in comparison to their matched pairs. The control group of patients was also characterized by the correlation between the width of the intercondylar notch and the width of the anterior cruciate ligament, which was not the case in the study group. Conclusions. According to the results of our study we can say that a narrow intercondylar notch contains a proportionally thin anterior cruciate ligament, but we cannot say that this factor necessarily leads to rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament.


2022 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 230949902110696
Author(s):  
Necip GÜVEN ◽  
Sezai ÖZKAN ◽  
Tulin TURKOZU ◽  
Adem YOKUS ◽  
Cihan ADANAS ◽  
...  

Purpose Many factors in the etiology of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears, predisposing factors related to knee morphology have also been reported. This study aimed to determine whether the Insall–Salvati (IS) index, which measures patella height, is a predisposing risk factor for ACL tears. Methods The IS index, patellar length (PL), and patellar tendon length (PTL) values of patients (study group) that underwent arthroscopic reconstruction for ACL tears obtained by preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were compared with the index values in the preoperative MRIs of patients that underwent knee arthroscopy for reasons besides ACL tears. In addition, the anterior tibial translation (ATT) of both groups was also measured and compared on MRI images. The MRI findings of the subjects included in both study groups were arthroscopically confirmed. Results The mean ages of the study group (n = 120) and control group (n = 90) were 29.1 ± 8.2 years and 31.8 ± 9.8 years, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference between the study and control groups in terms of the PL and PTL values ( p = 0.016 and p = 0.001, respectively). The IS index was statistically significantly higher in the study group with ACL tears ( p = 0.009). The ATT was 8.61 ± 4.68 mm in the study group and 3.80 ± 1.92 mm in the control group. The ATT results of both groups were evaluated, and it was found that the study group was significantly higher than the control group ( p = 0.001) Conclusions As a result of our current study, we observed higher IS index values in patients with ACL tears than in patients without ACL tears. It should be kept in mind that patella alta, which is associated with a high IS index as one of the factors of knee morphology associated with ACL tears, may play a role in the etiology of ACL tears.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 128-138
Author(s):  
V. V. Slastinin ◽  
N. V. Yarygin ◽  
M. V. Parshikov ◽  
A. M. Fain ◽  
M. V. Sychevskiy ◽  
...  

The study purpose — to evaluate the clinical results and the condition of bone tunnels after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with a semitendinosus tendon graft using cortical fixation and corrugated sutures.Materials and Methods. The results anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with a semitendinosus tendon autograft were analyzed in 57 patients aged 18 to 53 years. The patients of the first group (n = 27) underwent anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with a semitendinosus tendon graft using cortical fixation on the femur and tibia in combination with corrugated sutures at the proximal and distal ends of the graft. The patients of the second group (n = 30) underwent anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in a similar way, but without the use of corrugated sutures. Clinical results were assessed using the Lysholm and IKDC scales. The degree of bone tunnels widening was evaluated by CT data in 6 months after the surgery.Results. In the first group, the degree of postoperative bone tunnels widening was significantly lower (for the femoral tunnel by 18% and tibial — by 17%) compared with the second group (for the femoral tunnel by 30% and tibial — by 31%). Scores by the IKDC 2000 and Lysholm scales were higher in the corrugated sutured group. Although, the treatment outcome was interpreted as equally good for both groups. The time for graft preparation was on average 6 minutes longer in the first group. This slightly increased the duration of the surgery.Conclusion. The anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with a semitendinosus tendon graft using cortical fixation on the femur and tibia in combination with corrugated sutures ensured the tight contact of the tendon inside the bone tunnels without additional implants and reduced the degree of tunnels widening. This is important for a possible re-grafting. The proposed method does not significantly affect the clinical outcomes.


Author(s):  
Justina Marčiulionytė ◽  
Justinas Škikas ◽  
Saulė Sipavičienė

Background. Research aim was to analyze the quadriceps muscle strength recovery after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using electrical stimulation and physical therapy. Methods. There were two randomly selected groups, with eight people in each group. The selection criteria were that the subjects had to have anterior cruciate ligament operation six weeks prior and were very active physically. One group was for research (study group), the other one for reference (control group). The study group had electrical stimulation combined with physical therapy exercises two times a week, for 45 minutes. The control group had exercises to strengthen the quadriceps muscle also two times a week, for 45 minutes. Both groups were tested before and after the research. The things evaluated during the test were – visual pain scale (VAS) scores, quadriceps muscle strength during extension and flexion using (R. Lovett) scoring system and goniometry showing degrees of extension and flexion. Results. Comparing both study and control groups, there was statistically signifcant improvement (p < 0.05), however the study group recovered faster and had statistically greater benefts. Conclusions. After 6 weeks of physiotherapy, the range of motion, quadriceps muscle strength increased and pain decreased in the operated leg. 1. After 6 weeks of physiotherapy and electrical stimulation, the range of motion, quadriceps muscle strength increased and pain decreased in the operated leg. 2. After 6 weeks of physiotherapy and electrical stimulation, the range of motion, quadriceps muscle strength, pain in the operated leg changed more in the study group than in subjects who received only physical therapy.Keywords: anterior cruciate ligament, electrical stimulation, quadriceps muscle, ligament reconstruction, muscle strength.


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