Early Operative Versus Delayed Operative Versus Nonoperative Treatment of Pediatric and Adolescent Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background: Treatment options for pediatric and adolescent anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries include early operative, delayed operative, and nonoperative management. Currently, there is a lack of consensus regarding the optimal treatment for these injuries. Purpose/Hypothesis: The purpose was to determine the optimal treatment strategy for ACL injuries in pediatric and adolescent patients. We hypothesized that (1) early ACL reconstruction results in fewer meniscal tears than delayed reconstruction but yields no difference in knee stability and (2) when compared with nonoperative management, any operative management results in fewer meniscal tears and cartilage injuries, greater knee stability, and higher return-to-sport rates. Study Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: A systematic search of databases was performed including PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library using PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. Inclusion criteria were a pediatric and adolescent patient population (≤19 years old at surgery), the reporting of clinical outcomes after treatment of primary ACL injury, and original scientific research article. Exclusion criteria were revision ACL reconstruction, tibial spine avulsion fracture, case report or small case series (<5 patients), non–English language manuscripts, multiligamentous injuries, and nonclinical studies. Results: A total of 30 studies containing 50 cohorts and representing 1176 patients met our criteria. With respect to nonoperative treatment, knee instability was observed in 20% to 100%, and return to preinjury level of sports ranged from 6% to 50% at final follow-up. Regarding operative treatment, meta-analysis results favored early ACL reconstruction over delayed reconstruction (>12 weeks) for the presence of any meniscal tear (odds ratio, 0.23; P = .006) and irreparable meniscal tear (odds ratio, 0.31; P = .001). Comparison of any side-to-side differences in KT-1000 arthrometer testing did not favor early or delayed ACL reconstruction in either continuous mean differences ( P = .413) or proportion with difference ≥3 mm ( P = .181). Return to preinjury level of competition rates for early and delayed ACL reconstruction ranged from 57% to 100%. Conclusion: Delaying ACL reconstruction in pediatric or adolescent patients for >12 weeks significantly increased the risk of meniscal injuries and irreparable meniscal tears; however, early and delayed operative treatment achieved satisfactory knee stability. Nonoperative management resulted in high rates of residual knee instability, increased risk of meniscal tears, and comparatively low rates of return to sports.

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Secondary Meniscal Tears in Patients With Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury: Relationship Among Operative Management, Osteoarthritis, and Arthroplasty at 18-Year Mean Follow-up

The American Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1177/0363546519844481 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 47 (7) ◽

pp. 1583-1590 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Michella H. Hagmeijer ◽

Mario Hevesi ◽

Vishal S. Desai ◽

Thomas L. Sanders ◽

Christopher L. Camp ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Anterior Cruciate Ligament ◽

Acl Reconstruction ◽

Cruciate Ligament ◽

Meniscal Tear ◽

Acl Injury ◽

Nonoperative Treatment ◽

Meniscal Tears ◽

Acl Injuries ◽

Anterior Cruciate

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is one of the most frequent orthopaedic injuries and reasons for time loss in sports and carries significant implications, including posttraumatic osteoarthritis (OA). Instability associated with ACL injury has been linked to the development of secondary meniscal tears (defined as tears that develop after the initial ACL injury). To date, no study has examined secondary meniscal tears after ACL injury and their effect on OA and arthroplasty risk. Purpose: To describe the rates and natural history of secondary meniscal tears after ACL injury and to determine the effect of meniscal tear treatment on the development of OA and conversion to total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: A geographic database of >500,000 patients was reviewed to identify patients with primary ACL injuries between January 1, 1990, and December 31, 2005. Information was collected with regard to ACL injury treatment, rates/characteristics of the secondary meniscal tears, and outcomes, including development of OA and conversion to TKA. Kaplan-Meier and adjusted multivariate survival analyses were performed to test for the effect of meniscal treatment on survivorship free of OA and TKA. Results: Of 1398 primary ACL injuries, the overall rate of secondary meniscal tears was 16%. Significantly lower rates of secondary meniscal tears were noted among patients undergoing acute ACL reconstruction within 6 months (7%) as compared with patients with delayed ACL reconstruction (33%, P < .01) and nonoperative ACL management (19%, P < .01). Of the 235 secondary meniscal tears identified (196 patients), 11.5% underwent repair, 73% partial meniscectomy, and 16% were treated nonoperatively. Tears were most often medial in location (77%) and complex in morphology (56% of medial tears, 54% of lateral tears). At the time of final follow-up, no patient undergoing repair of a secondary meniscal tear (0%) underwent TKA, as opposed to 10.9% undergoing meniscectomy and 6.1% receiving nonoperative treatment ( P = .28). Conclusion: Secondary meniscal tears after ACL injury are most common among patients undergoing delayed surgical or nonoperative treatment of their primary ACL injuries. Secondary tears often present as complex tears of the medial meniscus and result in high rates of partial meniscectomy.

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The Role of Patient Characteristics in the Success of Nonoperative Treatment of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries

The American Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1177/0363546520917386 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 48 (7) ◽

pp. 1657-1664 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jelle P. van der List ◽

Frans J.A. Hagemans ◽

Dirk Jan Hofstee ◽

Freerk J. Jonkers

Keyword(s):

Anterior Cruciate Ligament ◽

Multivariate Analysis ◽

Physical Therapy ◽

Acl Reconstruction ◽

Cruciate Ligament ◽

Patient Characteristics ◽

Nonoperative Treatment ◽

Activity Level ◽

Acl Injuries ◽

Anterior Cruciate

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears can either be treated nonoperatively with physical therapy and then treated operatively if persistent instability is present, or be directly treated operatively. Advantages of early ACL reconstruction surgery include shorter time from injury to surgery and potentially fewer meniscal injuries, but performing early ACL reconstruction in all patients results in surgery in patients who might not need ACL reconstruction. It is important to assess in which patients nonoperative treatment is successful and which patients will require ACL reconstruction and thus might be better treated surgically in an earlier phase. Purpose: To identify patient characteristics that predict the success of nonoperative treatment. Study Design: Cohort study (Prognosis); Level of evidence, 2. Methods: All patients with complete ACL injuries who were evaluated between 2014 and 2017 at our clinic were included. The minimum follow-up was 2 years. The initial treatment and ultimate ACL reconstruction were reviewed. Univariate analysis was performed using Mann-Whitney U tests and chi-square tests and multivariate analysis using binary logistic regression. Results: A total of 448 patients were included with a median age of 26 years and median Tegner level of 7 and mean Tegner level of 6.4. At initial consultation, 210 patients (47%) were treated nonoperatively with physical therapy and 126 of these patients (60%) ultimately required ACL reconstruction. Nonoperative treatment failed in 88.9% of patients <25 years of age, 56.0% of patients 25 to 40 years, and 32.9% of patients >40 years ( P < .001); and 41.9% of patients with Tegner level 3 to 6, and 82.8% of patients with Tegner level 7 to 10. Age <25 years (odds ratio [OR], 7.4; P < .001) and higher Tegner levels (OR, 4.2; P < .001) were predictive of failing nonoperative treatment in multivariate analysis. Patients in the failed nonoperative group had longer time from diagnosis to surgery than the direct reconstruction group (6.2 vs 2.2 months; P < .001), and more frequently had new meniscal injuries (17.4% vs 3.1%; P < .001) at surgery. Conclusion: Nonoperative treatment of ACL injuries failed in 60% of patients and was highly correlated with age and activity level. In patients aged 25 years or younger or participating in higher-impact sports, early ACL reconstruction should be considered to prevent longer delay between injury and surgery, as well as new meniscal injuries.

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Results of meniscectomy and meniscal repair in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

Joints ◽

10.11138/jts/2015.3.3.151 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 03 (03) ◽

pp. 151-157 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Davide Deledda ◽

Federica Rosso ◽

Umberto Cottino ◽

Davide Bonasia ◽

Roberto Rossi

Keyword(s):

Anterior Cruciate Ligament ◽

Acl Reconstruction ◽

Ligament Reconstruction ◽

Medial Meniscus ◽

Cruciate Ligament ◽

Meniscal Repair ◽

Meniscal Tears ◽

Acl Injuries ◽

Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction ◽

Anterior Cruciate

Meniscal tears are commonly associated with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. A deficient medial meniscus results in knee instability and could lead to higher stress forces on the ACL reconstruction.Comparison of results in meniscectomy and meniscal repairs revealed worse clinical outcomes in meniscectomy, but higher re-operation rates in meniscal repairs. Our aim was to review the results of ACL reconstruction associated with meniscectomy or meniscal repair.

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Timing of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction and Relationship With Meniscal Tears: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

The American Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1177/0363546520964486 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 036354652096448

Author(s):

Apostolos D. Prodromidis ◽

Chrysoula Drosatou ◽

Georgios C. Thivaios ◽

Nasri Zreik ◽

Charalambos P. Charalambous

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Cohort Studies ◽

Acl Reconstruction ◽

Retrospective Cohort ◽

Cruciate Ligament ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Meniscal Tears ◽

Reconstruction Surgery ◽

Retrospective Cohort Studies ◽

Anterior Cruciate

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures are common, but the ideal timing for ACL reconstruction after injury is unclear with regard to meniscal insult. Purpose: To determine whether there is a relationship between timing from ACL rupture to ACL reconstruction and development of meniscal tears within this period. Study Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: A systematic literature search was undertaken independently by 2 reviewers using the Cochrane method for systematic reviews in 5 online databases. The reviewers performed independent data extraction and assessment of risk of bias and study quality. The search included any comparative study, including randomized controlled trials (RCTs), prospective and retrospective cohort studies, and case-control studies of an adult population, that assessed the relationship between timing of ACL reconstruction surgery and rates of meniscal tears. Results: After screening, 12 studies (No. of participants = 3042) out of 3390 records were included for analysis: 3 RCTs (n = 272), 2 prospective cohort studies (n = 307), and 7 retrospective cohort studies (n = 2463). In analysis of these studies, rates of reported meniscal tears were compared for ACL procedures performed at 3 and 6 months after injury. Meta-analysis of 5 studies (n = 2012) showed that ACL reconstruction performed >3 months after injury was associated with a higher rate of medial meniscal tears compared with ACL reconstruction performed within 3 months of injury (estimated OR, 2.235; 95% CI, 1.183-4.223; P = .013) but not with a higher rate of lateral meniscal tears. Similarly, meta-analysis of 4 studies (n = 990) showed that ACL reconstruction performed >6 months after injury was associated with a higher rate of medial meniscal tears compared with ACL reconstruction performed within 6 months of injury (estimated OR, 2.487; 95% CI, 1.241-4.984; P = .01) but not with a higher rate of lateral meniscal tears. Conclusion: Our results suggest that delay of ACL reconstruction surgery >3 months after injury is associated with a higher rate of medial meniscal tears within this prereconstruction time frame. Further high-quality prospective studies may help determine whether this is a causal effect. However, based on current evidence, in those patients for whom ACL reconstruction is indicated, ACL reconstruction within 3 months of injury may be recommended. Registration: CRD42016032846 (PROSPERO)

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Treatment After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury: Panther Symposium ACL Treatment Consensus Group

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1177/2325967120931097 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (6) ◽

pp. 232596712093109

Author(s):

Theresa Diermeier ◽

Benjamin B. Rothrauff ◽

Lars Engebretsen ◽

Andrew D. Lynch ◽

Olufemi R. Ayeni ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Anterior Cruciate Ligament ◽

Acl Reconstruction ◽

Cruciate Ligament ◽

Acl Injury ◽

Nonoperative Treatment ◽

Anatomic Acl Reconstruction ◽

Acl Injuries ◽

Consensus Group ◽

Consensus Statements ◽

Anterior Cruciate

Treatment strategies for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries continue to evolve. Evidence supporting best-practice guidelines for the management of ACL injury is to a large extent based on studies with low-level evidence. An international consensus group of experts was convened to collaboratively advance toward consensus opinions regarding the best available evidence on operative versus nonoperative treatment for ACL injury. The purpose of this study was to report the consensus statements on operative versus nonoperative treatment of ACL injuries developed at the ACL Consensus Meeting Panther Symposium 2019. There were 66 international experts on the management of ACL injuries, representing 18 countries, who were convened and participated in a process based on the Delphi method of achieving consensus. Proposed consensus statements were drafted by the scientific organizing committee and session chairs for the 3 working groups. Panel participants reviewed preliminary statements before the meeting and provided initial agreement and comments on the statement via online survey. During the meeting, discussion and debate occurred for each statement, after which a final vote was then held. Ultimately, 80% agreement was defined a priori as consensus. A total of 11 of 13 statements on operative versus nonoperative treatment of ACL injury reached consensus during the symposium. Overall, 9 statements achieved unanimous support, 2 reached strong consensus, 1 did not achieve consensus, and 1 was removed because of redundancy in the information provided. In highly active patients engaged in jumping, cutting, and pivoting sports, early anatomic ACL reconstruction is recommended because of the high risk of secondary meniscal and cartilage injuries with delayed surgery, although a period of progressive rehabilitation to resolve impairments and improve neuromuscular function is recommended. For patients who seek to return to straight-plane activities, nonoperative treatment with structured, progressive rehabilitation is an acceptable treatment option. However, with persistent functional instability, or when episodes of giving way occur, anatomic ACL reconstruction is indicated. The consensus statements derived from international leaders in the field will assist clinicians in deciding between operative and nonoperative treatment with patients after an ACL injury.

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Early Operative Versus Delayed or Nonoperative Treatment of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries in Pediatric Patients

Journal of Athletic Training ◽

10.4085/1062-6050.51.5.11 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 51 (5) ◽

pp. 425-427 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

Kristina L. Dunn ◽

Kenneth C. Lam ◽

Tamara C. Valovich McLeod

Keyword(s):

Anterior Cruciate Ligament ◽

Operative Treatment ◽

Pediatric Patients ◽

Cruciate Ligament ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Meniscal Tear ◽

Return To Sport ◽

Nonoperative Treatment ◽

Level 3 ◽

Anterior Cruciate

Reference: Ramski DE, Kanj WW, Franklin CC, Baldwin KD, Ganley TJ. Anterior cruciate ligament tears in children and adolescents: a meta-analysis of nonoperative versus operative treatment. Am J Sports Med. 2014;42(11):2769–2776. Clinical Questions: In pediatric patients, does early operative treatment of an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury result in decreased knee instability compared with delayed or nonoperative treatment? Data Sources: This review focused on the PubMed/MEDLINE and EMBASE databases. The following query searches were used: ACL or anterior cruciate ligament and young or child or children or pediatric or immature. Dates searched were not specified. A separate search was also conducted of abstracts published between 2009 and 2011 from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons; American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine; International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery, and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine; European Society of Sports Traumatology, Knee Surgery, and Arthroscopy; American Orthopaedic Association; Arthroscopy Association of North America; Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America; and American Academy of Pediatrics conferences. Study Selection: Available studies were included only if they were written in English; were of level 1, 2, or 3 evidence (grading taxonomy not stated); were cohort designs that compared nonoperative and operative treatments; involved an early versus delayed ACL reconstruction that could be prospective or retrospective; and reported primary outcome interest measures. Animal studies, basic science studies, case series, reviews, commentaries, and editorials were excluded from the review. Data Extraction: A systematic assessment tool, Guide to Community Preventive Services: Systematic Reviews and Evidence-Based Recommendations, was used by 2 of the authors to independently grade the quality of each study that met the inclusion criteria. The tool focused on 6 areas: intervention and study description, sampling, measurement, analysis, interpretation of results, and other execution factors. This tool helped to ensure consistency, reduce bias, and improve the validity and reliability of preventive health care studies. Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria. Six studies compared nonoperative with operative treatment, and 5 studies compared early reconstruction (open physes) with delayed reconstruction (closed physes). Studies in this meta-analysis consisted of the following: four level-3 prospective studies, four level-3 retrospective studies, one level-2 retrospective study, one level-3 case-control study, and one level-3 study with both prospective and retrospective data collection. All of the studies included data related to patient demographics, treatment interventions, follow-up duration, presence of any meniscal symptoms, time to return to sport participation, patient-reported outcomes (International Knee Documentation Committee [IKDC], Lysholm, or Tegner scores), the need for a second surgical procedure, and any posttreatment problems. Main Results: Of those who chose the nonoperative route, 75% reported instability, whereas only 13.6% of those who had surgery reported instability. These data also showed that nonoperative or delayed-operative patients were 33.7 times more likely to report instability than the early operative group. Those who chose the nonoperative route had a 12 times greater risk (odds ratio = 12.2, 95% confidence interval = 1.55, 96.3) of developing a meniscal tear after the initial injury. Three studies included in the meta-analysis reported return to sport status, but only 2 studies provided adequate data for both operative and nonoperative patients. In 1 study, 92% of operative patients were able to return to sport, but only 43.75% of nonoperative patients were able to do so. The second study reported that all operative and nonoperative patients were able to return to the same level of sport after injury. Of those in the early operative group, 6% required a repeat surgical intervention for either an ACL rerupture or a meniscal tear, and 19% of those who initially chose nonoperative treatment eventually needed surgery to repair the ACL or meniscus. Findings favor the early operative group over the delayed operative and nonoperative groups based on IKDC scores. One study reported a significant difference in operative patients, with an IKDC mean score of 95 compared with 87 in the nonoperative group. Similarly, a different study reported a mean score of 94.6 in the early operative group compared with 82.4 in the delayed operative group and was stated to have met the minimal clinically important difference (MCID). The MCID was not met for the Lysholm and Tegner scores between operative and nonoperative patients. Conclusions: The results of this meta-analysis favor early operative treatment for pediatric patients with ACL tears over delayed or nonoperative treatment. Early operative treatment is initiated shortly after the injury, while the patient is still skeletally immature and the growth plates are open. Current evidence suggests that early ACL reconstruction will result in less knee instability and a more likely return to the preinjury activity level without affecting the growth plates or causing growth disturbances.

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EFFECT OF SKELETAL MATURITY ON INCIDENCE OF ASSOCIATED MENISCAL AND CHONDRAL INJURIES IN ANTERIOR CRUCIATE LIGAMENT INJURED KNEES

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1177/2325967121s00105 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (7_suppl3) ◽

pp. 2325967121S0010

Author(s):

Brett Heldt ◽

Elsayed Attia ◽

Raymond Guo ◽

Indranil Kushare ◽

Theodore Shybut

Keyword(s):

Anterior Cruciate Ligament ◽

Acl Reconstruction ◽

Medial Meniscus ◽

Skeletal Maturity ◽

Cruciate Ligament ◽

Demographic Data ◽

Meniscal Tear ◽

Lateral Meniscus ◽

Meniscus Tears ◽

Anterior Cruciate

Background: Acute anterior cruciate ligament(ACL) rupture is associated with a significant incidence of concomitant meniscal and chondral injuries. However, to our knowledge, the incidence of these concomitant injuries in skeletally immature(SI) versus skeletally mature(SM) patients has not been directly compared. SI patients are a unique subset of ACL patients because surgical considerations are different, and subsequent re-tear rates are high. However, it is unclear if the rates and types of meniscal and chondral injuries differ. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to compare associated meniscal and chondral injury patterns between SI and SM patients under age 21, treated with ACL reconstruction for an acute ACL tear. We hypothesized that no significant differences would be seen. Methods: We performed a single-center retrospective review of primary ACL reconstructions performed from January 2012 to April 2020. Patients were stratified by skeletal maturity status based on a review of records and imaging. Demographic data was recorded, including age, sex, and BMI. Associated intra-articular meniscal injury, including laterality, location, configuration, and treatment were determined. Articular cartilage injury location, grade, and treatments were determined. Revision rates, non-ACL reoperation rates, and time to surgery were also compared between the two groups. Results: 785 SM and 208 SI patients met inclusion criteria. Mean BMI and mean age were significantly different between groups. Meniscal tear rates were significantly greater in SM versus SI patients in medial meniscus tears(P<.001), medial posterior horn tears(P=.001), medial longitudinal tears configuration(P=.007), lateral Radial configuration(P=.002), and lateral complex tears(P=.011). Medial repairs(P<.001) and lateral partial meniscectomies(P=.004) were more likely in the SM group. There was a significantly greater number of chondral injuries in the SM versus SI groups in the Lateral(p=.007) and medial compartments(P<.001). SM patients had a significantly increased number of outerbridge grade 1 and 2 in the Lateral(P<.001) and Medial Compartments(P=.013). ACL revisions(P=.019) and Non-ACL reoperations(P=.002) were significantly greater in the SI patients compared to SM. No other significant differences were noted. Conclusion: SM ACL injured patients have a significantly higher rate of medial meniscus tears and medial longitudinal configurations treated with repair, and a significantly higher rate of radial and/or complex lateral meniscus tears treated with partial meniscectomy compared to the SI group. We also found a significantly higher rate of both medial and lateral compartment chondral injuries, mainly grades 1 and 2, in SM compared to SI patients. Conversely, SI ACL reconstruction patients had higher revision and subsequent non-ACL surgery rates.

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DELAY TO ACL RECONSTRUCTION IN PEDIATRIC AND ADOLESCENT PATIENTS IS ASSOCIATED WITH A LINEAR INCREASE IN THE RISK OF MEDIAL MENISCAL TEARS

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1177/2325967121s00047 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (7_suppl3) ◽

pp. 2325967121S0004

Author(s):

David A. Kolin ◽

Brody Dawkins ◽

Joshua Park ◽

Peter D. Fabricant ◽

Allison Gilmore ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Acl Reconstruction ◽

Cruciate Ligament ◽

Meniscal Tear ◽

Lateral Meniscus ◽

Linear Increase ◽

Meniscal Injury ◽

Meniscal Tears ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Text Figure ◽

Time From Injury

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears are frequently associated with meniscal tears. Previous studies have shown that secondary meniscal tears—occurring after the initial ACL injury—are associated with greater delays from injury to ACL reconstruction (ACLR), but frequently use dichotomous categories of acute versus delayed ACLR. Purpose: As meniscal damage is likely accrued constantly over time, we investigated the variability of concurrent meniscal injuries as a function of time from injury to ACLR in a pediatric and adolescent population. Methods: We performed a retrospective review of all patients ≤18 years who underwent an ACLR between 2014 and 2018 at one of two tertiary academic hospitals. Outliers were excluded if time from injury to ACLR was greater than 78 weeks. Records were reviewed to assess patients’ dates of injury and surgery. The prevalence of concurrent medial and/or lateral meniscal injury was evaluated at the time of surgery for each patient. Adjusted relative risks (ARRs) of meniscal injury were calculated using Poisson regression models adjusted for age, sex, and body-mass index. Logistic regression was used to model the predicted probability of medial meniscal tears. Results: 546 patients met inclusion criteria. The mean age of participants was 15.3 years (S.D., 1.6), and 277 (50.7%) patients were male. Overall, 344 (63.0%) patients had a meniscal tear. 169 (49.1%) tears occurred at the medial meniscus, and 257 (74.7%) occurred at the lateral meniscus (Table 1). Compared to females, males had a greater risk of lateral meniscal injury (ARR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.20-1.77) but not medial meniscal injury (ARR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.77-1.31) (Figure 1). When considering all meniscal tears, time from injury to ACLR was not associated with increased risk of a tear (ARR, 1.01; 95% CI, 1.00-1.01). However, for medial meniscal tears, there was a significant association between time from injury to ACLR, in weeks, and meniscal tears (ARR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.01-1.03, P = 0.003). A ten-week delay was associated with a 20% increased risk of medial meniscal injury (Figure 2). Conclusion: In pediatric and adolescent ACLR patients, the risk of any meniscal injury was not associated with delay from injury to surgery. However, the risk of medial meniscal injury increased by 2% each week from injury to surgery. [Table: see text][Figure: see text][Figure: see text]

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Is Edema at the Posterior Medial Tibial Plateau Indicative of Ramp Lesion? An Examination of 852 Patients with Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1177/2325967118s00132 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 (7_suppl4) ◽

pp. 2325967118S0013

Author(s):

Neil Kumar ◽

Tiahna Spencer ◽

Edward Hochman ◽

Mark P. Cote ◽

Robert A. Arciero ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Anterior Cruciate Ligament ◽

Acl Reconstruction ◽

Tibial Plateau ◽

Cruciate Ligament ◽

Mechanism Of Injury ◽

Medial Tibial Plateau ◽

Meniscal Tears ◽

Ramp Lesion ◽

Anterior Cruciate ◽

Operative Notes

Objectives: Meniscal injuries are commonly observed with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) deficiency. A subset of these injuries includes tears of the medial meniscus at the posterior meniscocapsular junction, or ramp lesions. Biomechanical studies have indicated that ramp injuries may compromise anterior stability of the knee, even after ACL reconstruction (ACLR). These lesions are not consistently diagnosed with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). One criterion that shows promise is the presence of posterior medial tibial plateau (PMTP) edema. A correlation of PMTP edema and peripheral posterior horn medial meniscal injuries has been observed in the literature. We evaluated a consecutive series of patients who underwent ACLR for incidence of ramp tears. These patients were then compared to patients with non-ramp (meniscal body) medial meniscal tears. The utility of PMTP edema on preoperative MRI for ramp tear diagnosis was then determined. Methods: A retrospective chart review via an institutional database search identified 892 patients who underwent ACLR by one of two senior authors (R.A.A., C.E.) between January 2006 and June 2016. Operative notes identified patients diagnosed arthroscopically with medial meniscal lesions, including ramp lesions. Arthroscopic identification was the gold standard for diagnosis of both ramp and non-ramp (meniscal body) tears. Demographic information such as age, sex, laterality, mechanism of injury (contact/noncontact), sport, revision procedure, multi-ligament procedure, time to MRI, and time to surgery were recorded. Patients without available operative records were excluded. Preoperative MRIs were obtained for all patients and reviewed by an orthopaedic sports medicine fellow for PMTP edema. Axial, coronal, and sagittal T2 and proton-density sequences were utilized. A MRI was considered positive if edema was detected in 2 different planes of sequences. Differences between groups were analyzed with two-sample t test or Chi square test Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models analyzed the relationships among patient factors, MRI findings, and ramp lesions. Results: 852 patients met the inclusion criteria for analysis. 307 patients were diagnosed with medial meniscal tear at the time of ACLR, 127 of which were ramp lesions. The overall incidence of ramp tear was 14.9% and consisted of 41.4% of all medial meniscal tears. Patients with ramp tears were mean 7.5 years younger than patients with meniscal body tears ( p<0.01). There was no difference between the groups in regard to mechanism of injury, revision surgery, or multi-ligamentous injury. Patients with delayed ACLR were at 3.3x greater odds ( p<0.01) of having meniscal body tear compared to ramp lesion. MRI was available for review in 178 patients, 97 of whom had positive MRI for PMTP edema. Sensitivity and specificity of PMTP edema for ramp tear was 66.3% and 55.1%, respectively. Of patients with PMTP edema, 54.6% had ramp lesions and 45.4% had non-ramp tears ( p<0.01). Patients with preoperative MRI positive for PMTP edema were at 2.1 times greater odds ( p<0.01) of having sustained a ramp tear compared to a meniscal body tear. Conclusion: The incidence of ramp tear was 14.9% and was more prevalent in younger patients. Delayed ACLR resulted in 3.3x greater odds of meniscal body tears compared to ramp tears. Patients with PMTP edema on preoperative MRI were at 2.1x greater odds to have ramp lesions compared to a meniscal body tears at the time of ACL reconstruction.

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Anterolateral ligament of the knee: back to the future in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

Orthopedic Reviews ◽

10.4081/or.2015.5773 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Davide Edoardo Bonasia ◽

Andrea D'Amelio ◽

Pietro Pellegrino ◽

Federica Rosso ◽

Roberto Rossi

Keyword(s):

Anterior Cruciate Ligament ◽

Acl Reconstruction ◽

Cruciate Ligament ◽

Double Bundle ◽

Anterolateral Ligament ◽

Rotational Instability ◽

Small Subset ◽

Acl Injuries ◽

Anterior Cruciate ◽

Double Bundle Acl Reconstruction

Although the importance of the anterolateral stabilizing structures of the knee in the setting of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries has been recognized since many years, most of orthopedic surgeons do not take into consideration the anterolateral structures when performing an ACL reconstruction. Anatomic single or double bundle ACL reconstruction will improve knee stability, but a small subset of patients may experience some residual anteroposterior and rotational instability. For this reason, some researchers have turned again towards the anterolateral aspect of the knee and specifically the anterolateral ligament. The goal of this review is to summarize the existing knowledge regarding the anterolateral ligament of the knee, including anatomy, histology, biomechanics and imaging. In addition, the most common anterolateral reconstruction/tenodesis techniques are described together with their respective clinical outcomes.

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