Faculty Bibliography

Despite multiple advances in techniques for posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (PCL-R), residual posterior laxity continues to be a commonly reported complication. Multiple studies demonstrated a decreased or flat posterior tibial slope, increases posterior laxity, and forces placed across the native and reconstructed PCL. Anterior opening wedge high tibial osteotomies (aOW-HTO) can be used to increase posterior tibial slope, thereby reducing tibial sag and posterior laxity. Depending on the technique used, anterior opening wedge osteotomies can lead to changes in patellar height, affecting patient pain and satisfaction. The purpose of this article is to describe a technique for an aOW-HTO with a tibial tubercle osteotomy and concomitant PCL-R to increase the posterior tibial slope while minimizing changes to patellar height.

OBJECTIVES/OBJECTIVE:An isolated medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) reconstruction (MPFLR) has been demonstrated to be an effective treatment option in the prevention of patellar instability, but there is growing support for performing a tibial tubercle osteotomy (TTO) in patients with an elevated tibial tubercle-trochlear groove distance. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of adding a TTO to MPFLR on patient-reported outcomes. METHODS:A retrospective review of patients who underwent MPFLR with or without TTO with a minimum of 12-month follow-up was performed. Patients in both groups were matched based on age, gender, and follow-up time. Recurrent instability (including redislocation and subluxation), visual analogue scale (VAS) score, Kujala score, and satisfaction were evaluated. RESULTS:There were 59 patients who underwent MPFLR with concomitant TTO performed at our institution and met our inclusion and exclusion criteria. These patients were then matched to patients undergoing isolated MPFLR based on demographics and follow-up time. The mean age was 25.0 years, 76.3% were female, and the mean follow-up time was 49 months. There was a significant difference in mean tibial tubercle-trochlear groove distance (19.8 ± 3.9 vs. 14.1 ± 2.8) between groups. There was no significant difference in VAS (1.48 ± 2.0 vs. 1.49 ± 2.1, p = 0.972), satisfaction (86.1% ± 24.2% vs. 81.2% ± 27.9, p = 0.311) or revision surgeries (10.2% vs. 10.2%) between groups. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:Matched patients undergoing MPFLR with TTO compared with isolated MPFLR demonstrate no statistically significant difference in patient-reported outcomes, levels of pain, and satisfaction postoperatively. Furthermore, the addition of a TTO does not increase the risk of further surgery or complications. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE/METHODS:III, retrospective comparative study.

IMPORTANCE/OBJECTIVE:There have been several recent systematic reviews of quadriceps tendon autografts (QT), which have not shown any significant difference in outcomes between QT and hamstring tendon autograft (HS) for ACL reconstruction (ACLR). However, several recent comparative studies have been published comparing QT to HS for ACLR. AIM/OBJECTIVE:The purpose of this study is to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of the studies comparing QT to HS for ACLR. EVIDENCE REVIEW/METHODS:Two independent reviewers performed the literature search based on the PRISMA guidelines, with a senior author arbitrating discrepancies. Cohort studies comparing QT with HS were included. FINDINGS/RESULTS:There were 15 studies comparing 611 patients with QT to 543 patients with HS, with a mean of 27.4 months follow-up. QT resulted in a significantly lower rate of graft re-rupture (2.5% vs 8.7%, p = 0.01), and donor site morbidity (17.6% vs 26.2%, p = 0.02). There was a significant difference in favour of QT for the positive pivot shift test (Grade I/II: 15.8% vs 23.0%, p = 0.02), but not in the rate of the positive Lachman test (Grade I/II: 18.3% vs 26.7%, p = 0.16). Additionally, there was no difference in the side to side difference in knee stability (1.8 mm vs 2.0 mm, p = 0.48). Functionally, both grafts had similar functional outcomes in terms of the IKDC score (88.0 vs 87.9, p = 0.69), and Lysholm score (89.3 vs 87.6, p = 0.15). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE/CONCLUSIONS:Our study showed that QT has a lower re-rupture rate than HS in ACLR, with lower donor site morbidity. QT appeared to be slightly better for residual pivot shift, but there was no difference in patient-reported outcomes. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE/METHODS:III.

BACKGROUND:Patient-reported allergies (PRAs) are often stigmatized as a potential nonmodifiable risk factor for increased pain and worse functional outcomes following surgery. However, there is a dearth of literature directly assessing the impact of PRAs on outcomes in sport surgeries such as medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction (MPFLR). The purpose of our study was to determine whether PRAs were associated with worse outcomes following MPFLR. METHODS:We conducted a retrospective review of patients who underwent MPFLR at our institution from 2011 to 2019. Patients were included if they had at least 12 months of follow-up. PRAs were obtained from preoperative medical assessments and categorized by drug class. Demographic and perioperative data were obtained from electronic medical records. Postoperative outcomes were measured using a telephone survey and included recurrent instability, Visual analog scale (VAS) for pain, VAS for sports, Kujala score, MPFL-Return to Sport after Injury (MPFL-RSI) score, and overall satisfaction score. Multiple linear regression was used to determine association between PRAs and outcome measures, and p-values less than 0.05 were considered significant. RESULTS:The cohort included 141 MPFLR. Most patients were female (98, 70%) with an average age of 25 years (range 12-56 years). Average follow-up time was 47 months. Forty-seven patients (33%) reported at least one PRA. There were no significant differences in postoperative pain, functional outcomes, satisfaction, or return to sport between patients with or without PRAs (all p > 0.05). Absence of antibiotic PRAs was predictive of higher VAS (p < 0.007), but there were no other differences. There were no significant differences in outcomes between patients without PRAs, PRAs without a concomitant psychiatric disorder, or PRAs with a concomitant psychiatric disorder (all p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS:In conclusion, PRAs with or without concomitant psychiatric diagnoses are not associated with worse postoperative pain, functional outcomes, or satisfaction following MPFLR with allograft, dispelling common misconceptions that increased number of allergies or psychiatric diagnoses lead to inferior surgical outcomes. Presence of antibiotic allergies was associated with lower VAS postoperative pain score. Future research should investigate the relationship between PRAs and other surgeries in the field of sports medicine.

BACKGROUND/UNASSIGNED:Performing open subpectoral biceps tenodesis in overhead athletes with a superior labrum anterior to posterior (SLAP) tear may affect their ability to return to overhead sports. PURPOSE/UNASSIGNED:To investigate clinical outcomes in overhead athletes undergoing biceps tenodesis for the treatment of symptomatic, isolated SLAP tears involving the biceps-labral complex. STUDY DESIGN/UNASSIGNED:Case series; Level of evidence, 4. METHODS/UNASSIGNED:value of <.05 was considered to be statistically significant. RESULTS/UNASSIGNED:The current study included 44 overhead athletes. The mean age was 34.9 years (range, 16-46 years), 79.5% were male, and the mean follow-up was 49.0 months (range, 18-107 months). Overall, 81.8% of patients returned to play their overhead sport after biceps tenodesis, and 59.1% of patients returned to the same or higher level of play. It took patients, on average, 8.7 months to return to play after biceps tenodesis. The mean SLAP-RSI score was 69.4, and 70.5% of patients passed the SLAP-RSI threshold of 56. The mean ASES score, VAS score, SSV, and satisfaction were 92.0, 0.8, 80.6, and 87.9%, respectively. No patients in our cohort required revision surgery. CONCLUSION/UNASSIGNED:This study found that athletes undergoing biceps tenodesis for the treatment of a symptomatic, isolated SLAP tear had a high rate of return to play, good functional outcomes, and a low rate of revision surgery.

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are one of the most common and debilitating injuries experienced by athletes. While many patients successfully undergo ACL reconstructions, long-term failure rates have been reported between 2% to 27% resulting in the need for revisions. One of the main causes for the failure of ACL reconstruction is osseous malalignment (coronal versus sagittal). This review discusses the pathology behind osseous malalignment and provides insights into the origins that helped advance our understanding of our treatment, the high tibial osteotomy.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE:The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of patients 5-years post-operatively following arthroscopic superior-labrum anterior-posterior (SLAP) repair, and to evaluate factors associated with satisfaction. METHODS:A retrospective review of patients who underwent SLAP repair with a minimum of 5-year follow-up was performed. Recurrence, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score, Subjective Shoulder Value (SSV), American Shoulder & Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score, satisfaction, whether they would undergo the same surgery again, and the rate, level and timing of return to play (RTP) were evaluated. Multi-linear regression models were used to evaluate factors affecting postoperative satisfaction. RESULTS:Overall, 122 patients who underwent SLAP repair were included, with a mean age of 33.4 years. 81% were males, and 58.2% were participating in sport pre-operatively. The mean follow-up was 86.4 ± 14.4 months. At final follow up, the mean satisfaction was 87.7%, and the mean SSV was 82.9. Overall, the rate of RTP was 85.9%, with 64.8% returning at the same level at a mean of 10.5 ± 8 months. Ultimately, 13 (10.7%) patients had a further surgery, including 10 (8.2%) patient that had a biceps tenodesis. VAS during sport (p = 0.025), SSV (p < 0.001), and time to RTP (p = 0.0056), were associated with higher satisfaction. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:There was a high rate of satisfaction at 5-year follow-up, with excellent patient reported outcomes but with a tenth of patients requiring revision surgeries. Additionally, while there was an overall high rate of RTP, there was only a modest rate of RTP at their pre-injury level and overhead athletes took longer to RTP.

»:A high tibial osteotomy (HTO) is a joint-preserving procedure that can be used to treat symptomatic unicompartmental cartilage disorders in the presence of limb malalignment. »:Appropriate patient selection and careful preoperative planning are vital for optimizing outcomes. »:Based on past literature, correction of varus malalignment to 3° to 8° of valgus appears to lead to favorable results. Recently, there has been growing awareness that it is important to consider soft-tissue laxity during preoperative planning. »:Although there has been a recent trend toward performing opening-wedge rather than closing-wedge or dome HTOs for unicompartmental osteoarthritis, current data suggest that all 3 are acceptable techniques with varying complication profiles. »:Based on current evidence, an HTO provides pain relief, functional improvement, and a high rate of return to sport, with reported survivorship ranging from 74.7% to 97.6% and 66.0% to 90.4% at 10 and 15 years, respectively.

BACKGROUND/UNASSIGNED:As platelet-rich plasma injection for knee osteoarthritis (OA) has increased in popularity, it has become more important to assess its effectiveness and satisfaction with its use in the context of its high cost. The purpose of this study was to determine satisfaction, commercial appeal, and effectiveness of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) for the treatment of knee OA. METHODS/UNASSIGNED:A retrospective review of patients who underwent PRP injection in the knee from 2016 to 2019 was performed. Satisfaction with the PRP injection (out of 100), whether the patient would want to undergo PRP injection again, whether they would recommend the injection and whether they felt that the injection was worth the cost was collected. VAS pain scores were collected and measured out of 100. RESULTS/UNASSIGNED:Overall, 114 patients were included. The mean pre-injection pain score was 70.4, and the mean pain level decreased after injection to 36.8. Patients rated their satisfaction on average at 49.2, 50.9% stated that they would get the PRP injection again, 60.5% would recommend to a friend, and 50.9% felt the injection was worth the cost. Younger age and improved post-injection pain correlated with increasing likelihood of desiring further PRP injection. CONCLUSIONS/UNASSIGNED:Patients on average rated satisfaction slightly below average, indicating net indifference skewing towards dissatisfaction with their injection, and only half indicated that it was worth the cost and that they would receive it again. Younger age and pain relief increased desire for further injection, but efficacy did not correlate with patients saying that the injection was worth the cost.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE:The purpose of this study was to evaluate the mid-term results of posterior medial meniscal root tear (PMMRT) repair through assessment of functional outcome scores and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). METHODS:This was a single-center, retrospective study evaluating patients that had undergone a PMMRT. This was a follow-up to a previously published 2-year outcome study (all original patients were invited to participate). Clinical outcomes included pre- and postoperative International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) and Lysholm scores. Root healing, meniscal extrusion, and cartilage degeneration via International Cartilage Repair Society Scale (ICRS) grades were assessed on MRI by two musculoskeletal fellowship-trained radiologists. RESULTS:10 of the original study's 18 patients were able to participate. Mean age and BMI was 48.4 ± 12.0 years and 29.5 ± 4.5, respectively, with mean follow-up 65.5 ± 8.3 months (range 52.0-75.8) (60% female). The IKDC significantly increased from 43 ± 13 preoperatively to 75 ± 16 at 5-year follow-up (p < 0.001). There was no significant change in IKDC score between 2-year and 5-year follow-up [75 ± 16 vs 73 ± 20, (n.s)]. The Lysholm also significantly increased between preoperative and 5-year follow-up (49 ± 7 vs 84 ± 11, p < 0.001). There was no significant change between Lysholm score at 2-year and 5-year follow-up [84.0 ± 11 vs 82 ± 13, (n.s)]. Mean extrusion did not significantly change from the preoperative state to 5-year follow-up [4.80 mm ± 1.9 vs 5.0 mm ± 2.5, (n.s.)]. Extrusion also did not significantly change between 2-and 5-year follow-up [6.1 ± 3.2 mm vs 5.0 mm ± 2.5, (n.s.)]. No patients with > 3 mm of extrusion on preoperative MRI had < 3 mm of extrusion on postoperative MRI. Both medial femoral condyle and medial tibial plateau ICRS grades significantly increased from preoperative to 2-year follow-up (p = 0.038, p = 0.023, respectively). Medial femoral condyle and medial tibial plateau ICRS grades again significantly increased between 2-year and 5-year follow-up (p = 0.014, p = 0.034). CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:Patients treated with the transtibial suture pullout technique with two locking cinch sutures had maintenance of clinical outcome improvements at 5-year follow-up. However, extrusion was widely prevalent, with worsening progression of femoral and tibial chondral disease. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE/METHODS:Level 4.