Clinical Outcome Evaluation in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction using Transportal Technique Augmented with Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Injection

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is a common injury in the athlete with an incidence of 30-78 cases per year. PRP injection can be applied to enhance graft healing and help patient return to sports faster. Transportal placement is a newer technique and believed can handle this problem. No perspective surveillance system has been made to monitoring the outcome of ACL surgery using the transportal technique and PRP injection in our hospital.Materials and Methods: A total data of 157 patients using medical records in our hospital between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2018 were evaluated. All patients underwent ACL reconstruction surgery using the transportal technique and additional platelet rich plasma (PRP) intraarticular, with the exclusion of multiple ligament and meniscal injuries. The values evaluated in this study were clinical examination, SF-12 Daily Living Score, Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), Oxford knee Score (OKS), Tegner Lysholm score and Cincinnati score. Patients were followed up from a minimum of 6 months to 4 years after surgery.Results: We found male-dominant (82.8%) patients with the mean age is 25.59 ± 7.61 years old. MOI mostly sports-related activity (78,9%). Anterior drawer and Lachman test post-surgery showed significant improvement. SF-12 showed increasing post-op with mean 80.94. Mean Tegner Lysholm and Cincinnati post-operative was 87.30 and 378.57. OKS pre and post-op mean was 23.56 and 43.82. No significant difference in KOOS score with p0.0001.Conclusions: The ACL reconstruction augmentation with PRP injection with the transportal technique showed significant satisfaction and function restored to normal.

Systematic Review of Surgical Technique and Tunnel Target Points and Placement in Anatomical Single-Bundle ACL Reconstruction

The purpose of this systematic review was to reveal the trend in surgical technique and tunnel targets points and placement in anatomical single-bundle anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) statement, data collection was performed. PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochran Review were searched using the terms “anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction,” “anatomic or anatomical,” and “single bundle.” Studies were included when they reported clinical results, surgical technique, and/or tunnel placement evaluation. Laboratory studies, technical reports, case reports, and reviews were excluded from this study. From these full article reviews, graft selection, method of creating the femoral tunnel, and femoral and tibial tunnel target points and placement were evaluated. In the 79 studies included for data evaluation, the selected grafts were: bone patella tendon bone autograft (12%), and hamstring autograft (83%). The reported methods of creating the femoral tunnel were: transportal technique (54%), outside-in technique (15%), and transtibial technique (19%). In the 60 studies reporting tunnel target points, the target point was the center of the femoral footprint (60%), and the center of the anteromedial bundle footprint (22%). In the 23 studies evaluating tunnel placement, the femoral tunnel was placed in a shallow–deep direction (32.3%) and in a high–low direction (30.2%), and the tibial tunnel was placed from the anterior margin of the tibia (38.1%). The results of this systematic review revealed a trend in anatomical single-bundle ACL reconstruction favoring a hamstring tendon with a transportal technique, and a tunnel target point mainly at the center of the ACL footprint. The level of evidence stated is Systematic review of level-III studies.

Iatrogenic Injury to the Posterolateral Knee During Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction with Anteromedial Portal Technique

BACKGROUND: Femoral tunnel reaming through anteromedial portal, also known as transportal technique, allows for anatomic femoral tunnel placement in restoring anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) kinematics. This procedure may cause iatrogenic injury to the posterolateral structures of the knee. PURPOSE: This study aims to assess the risk of posterolateral structure injury in ACL reconstruction using transportal technique. METHODS: ACL reconstruction using transportal technique was performed in 20 patients. Clinical and radiological examination was performed preoperatively and 1 month postoperatively. Clinical examination included any pain or paresthesia on posterolateral area of the knee, varus alignment of the knee, abnormal gait, and specific tests for posterolateral stability. Radiological evaluation was plain radiography and stress radiography for posterolateral stability, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for assessing structural damage. RESULTS: Post-operative evaluation showed pain in posterolateral area in five patients, numbness on posterolateral knee in one patient, both pain and numbness in two patients and lateral gastrocnemius muscle injury on MRI in six patients. We did not find varus knee alignment and abnormal gait. Specific tests were negative in post-operative evaluation. Post-operative radiographic imaging did not show the sign of lateral widening. CONCLUSION: Femoral tunnel drilling using transportal technique in ACL reconstruction is safe even it might risk to damage lateral gastrocnemius muscle, according to clinical and MRI findings.

Optimal Condition to Create Femoral Tunnel Considering Combined Influence of Knee Flexion and Transverse Drill Angle in Anatomical Single-Bundle ACL Reconstruction Using Medial Portal Technique: 3D Simulation Study

There has been no previous study using three-dimensional (3D) measurement on femoral tunnel characteristics according to the combined influence of various flexion angles of knee and transverse drill angles in single-bundle ACL reconstruction with transportal technique. The purpose of this study was to determine optimal condition of knee flexion angle and transverse drill angle to create secure femoral tunnel in single-bundle ACL reconstruction with transportal technique considering tunnel length, tunnel wall breakage, and graft bending angle. This study was conducted using simulation of 3D computed tomography of thirty subjects. Three variables of femoral tunnel changed according to combined influence of four flexion angles of knee and three transverse drill angles were measured: tunnel length, wall breakage, and graft bending angle. There was no case of short femoral tunnel less than 25 mm at 120° and 130° of flexion. There was no case of breakage of femoral tunnel at 120° of flexion with maximum transverse drill angle (MTA) and MTA-10° and at 130° of flexion. Considering effect on graft bending angle, decrease of flexion angle and transverse drill angle could be appropriate in creating femoral tunnel. Increased flexion angle and transverse drill angle secured femoral tunnel having sufficiently long length without wall breakage. However, avoiding excessive flexion angle and maximum transverse drill angle could be recommended because they tended to cause more acute graft bending angle.