Meniscal Root Repair

Background: Meniscal root tears typically result from a hyperflexion/squatting injury or are in conjunction with ligamentous knee injury. Once a complete tear occurs, the meniscus is unable to convert axial loads to transverse hoop stresses which result in increased tibiofemoral contact pressure and osteoarthritis. The goal of a meniscal root repair is to anatomically reattach the meniscal root to the tibia plateau. Complete and partial healing occurs in over 93% of cases with retear rates ranging from 0% to 7%. Indications: We present a case of a highly active 21-year-old male collegiate soccer play that sustained a medial meniscal root tear after slipping on ice. Technique: An anatomic medial meniscal root repair was performed using a transtibial guide and 2 loop sutures tied over a button. Results: Full anatomic footprint coverage was able to be achieved intraoperatively and gentle range of motion from 0 to 90° of flexion did not result in gap formation. Discussion/Conclusion: Successful outcomes with full anatomic footprint coverage of the medial meniscal root can be achieved with 2-loop suture button configuration.

Distal Patellar Tendon Avulsion Associated with an ACL Tear in a Teenager: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Distal patellar tendon avulsions are rare injuries in healthy individuals, and to date, no case affecting skeletally mature teenagers and adolescents has been reported. In the majority of cases, distal patellar tendon avulsions are associated with severe intra-articular knee lesions, signifying a high-energy trauma. We present the case of a 15.5-year-old female who was admitted to the emergency department after a knee injury. The mechanism of injury was a combination of landing after a jump off a scooter and sudden deceleration with a fixed foot. Lateral radiographs revealed a distal patellar tendon avulsion. An MRI was conducted to accurately diagnose concomitant lesions. The MRI revealed a complete tear of the ACL, and associated bone bruises on the lateral femoral condyle, and also on the posterolateral tibial plateau. A knee joint exam under general anesthesia demonstrated good stability during valgus stress testing and only a grade 1 positive Lachman test. Therefore, we decided to only reconstruct the extensor mechanism and to abstain from a primary ACL reconstruction. The presented case and review of the literature demonstrate the clinical relevance of this atypical lesion. In fact, a distal patellar tendon avulsion after physeal fusion of the proximal tibia should raise a strong suspicion of severe associated intra-articular knee lesions and requires prompt MRI investigation. However, controversy still exists regarding the management of these injuries, in particular concerning the question of whether to address both injuries in a single stage or in 2 stages.

MRI EVALUATION OF MENISCAL AND LIGAMENTOUS INJURIES OF KNEE IN CORRELATION WITH ARTHROSCOPY

Background - In knee joint injuries, clinical examination, radiographs and CT scan is not enough to diagnose many internal derangements of this joint. MR studies are required to assess the injuries of the menisci, cartilage ligaments or bone. A cross-sectional, Materials and methodsanalytical–observational study was conducted at the Department of Radiodiagnosis. A total of 65 patients with clinical suspicion of knee ligament injury and were referred for MRI were examined, 41 patients were males and 24 were females, their ages ranging from18 to 60 yrs. ACL Resultstear was the most common lesion, presented in 53.84 % cases out of which 29.32% cases were partial tear and 24.62% cases were complete tear. Medial Meniscus tear was the second most common lesion. 25% cases presented with combined injuries and 75% cases presented with isolated injuries. The predominant pattern was ACL and MM tears, followed by ACL tear and LM tears. Correlation between MRI and arthroscopic ndings are statistically signicant with (88%) of the cases showed good correlation between MRI and arthroscopic ndings. The study Conclusionsrevealed the ability of MRI in evaluation of the various internal derangements, including their detection, types (partial/complete tear) localization, characterization and assessment of extent of damage and the strength of correlation between MRI and arthroscopic helped the orthopaedic surgeons as a conservative approach was indicated in partial tears while a repair/reconstruction was indicated in a complete tear.

Diagnostic performance of high-resolution ultrasound in pre- and postoperative evaluation of the hand tendons injuries

Background Hand tendon injuries are recognized clinical entities that are frequently seen. Clinical examinations usually warrant radiological correlative studies for confirmation and as a postoperative screening test. Here is a prospective observational cohort study enrolling 30 patients who were diagnosed clinically to have hand tendon injuries either pre- or postoperative; their ages were ranging from 5 to 64 years with a mean ± SD of 31.43 ± 12.19 years; 23 male patients (76.7%) and 7 female patients (23.3%) were evaluated by high-resolution ultrasound examination and a correlative evaluation was done by either intra-operative assessment or MRI study as gold standards. Results High-resolution ultrasound (HRUS) findings were binned into seventeen cases (56%) that had tendon tears, of which 10 cases (33.3%) had a complete tear and 7 cases (23.3%) had a partial tear. Postoperative tendon integrity was present in 13 cases (43.3%), a tendon callus was found in 2 cases (6.66%), and a postoperative abnormal motion on the dynamic study was present in 15 cases (50%). Intra-tendinous foreign bodies were detected in two cases (6.66%), a gap between the torn ends was found in 10 cases (33.3%), and re-tear (rupture) of the repaired tendons was present in four cases (13.3%). Coexistent nerve injuries were seen in two cases (6.66%); for the forementioned findings, HRUS had gained high accuracy measures as correlated to the gold standards (100% sensitivity and 100% specificity). Conclusion High-resolution ultrasound serves as a highly accurate potential diagnostic modality for preoperative evaluation of hand tendon injuries and the postoperative follow-up.

Story of a superfluous muscle accessory soleus muscle sprain: Imaging and diagnostic approach!

Accessory soleus muscle is a rare supererogatory variant, which presents as a mass in posterior compartment of ankle. It can present through a myriad of clinical features ranging from asymptomatic to sprain to complete tear. The pain with accessory soleus can be attributed to either compression of tibial nerve, exertional compartment syndrome and very rarely can be secondary to sprain or tears of the accessory soleus muscle. Very few cases have been documented with soleus muscle injuries. We would like to highlight the importance of imaging in diagnosis and management.

Biomechanics in an Incomplete Versus Complete Supraspinatus Tear: A Cadaveric Study

Background: Degenerative and traumatic changes to the rotator cuff can result in massive and irreparable rotator cuff tears (RCTs). Purpose/Hypothesis: The study objective was to conduct a biomechanical comparison between a small, incomplete RCT and a large, complete RCT. We hypothesized that the incomplete supraspinatus (SS) tear would lead to an incremental loss of abduction force and preserve vertical position of the humeral head, while a complete SS tear would cause superior humeral migration, decrease functional deltoid abduction force, and increase passive range of motion (ROM). Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: Six cadaveric shoulders were evaluated using a custom testing apparatus. Each shoulder was subjected to 3 conditions: (1) intact/control, (2) 50%, full-thickness, incomplete SS tear, and (3) 100%, complete SS tear. Deltoid abduction force, superior humeral head migration, and passive ROM were measured in static conditions at 0°, 30°, and 60° of glenohumeral abduction, respectively. Results: The intact SS resulted in a mean deltoid abduction force of 2.5, 3.3, and 3.8 N at 0°, 30°, and 60° of abduction, respectively. Compared with the intact shoulder, there was no significant difference in mean abduction force seen in the incomplete tear, while the force was significantly decreased by 52% at 30° of abduction in the complete tear ( P = .009). Compared with the incomplete tear, there were significant decreases in abduction force seen in the complete tear, by 33% and 48% (0.9 N and 1.1 N) at 0° and 30° of abduction, respectively ( P = .04 and .004). The intact configuration experienced a mean superior humeral head migration of 1.5, 1.4, and 1.1 mm at 0°, 30°, and 60° of abduction, respectively. The complete tear resulted in a superior migration of 3.0 and 4.4 mm greater than the intact configuration at 0° and 30° of abduction, respectively ( P = .001). There was a 5° and 10° increase in abduction ROM with 50% and 100% tears, respectively ( P = .003 and .03). Conclusion: An incomplete SS tear does not significantly alter the biomechanics of the shoulder, while a large, complete SS tear leads to a significant superior humeral migration, a decreased deltoid abduction force, and a mild increase in passive ROM. Clinical Relevance: Our findings demonstrate the effects of large SS tears on key biomechanical parameters, as they progress from partial tears.