Faculty Bibliography

Articular cartilage is a highly specialised connective tissue that serves to lubricate joint surfaces and distribute loads across the joint. Injury to articular cartilage is a significant cause of pain and dysfunction that may eventually lead to osteoarthritis or degenerative arthrosis. Management of these injuries is complicated by the complex architecture and poor vascularity of this tissue. The field of articular cartilage restoration has evolved rapidly over the past several decades and current techniques offer promising results. However, despite the fast pace of progress in the treatment and repair of articular cartilage injury, a clear gold standard in management has yet to emerge. Current techniques for managing cartilage injuries discussed in this review include bone marrow stimulation, osteochondral transplantation, chondrocyte implantation, cell-based transplantation, biological augmentation and scaffold-based therapies. Heterogeneity in study design, including surgical procedures, lesion and patient characteristics, cell collection, biologics preparation protocols and outcome measures limits interpretation of results presented in the literature. Therefore, standardisation across research protocols and collaboration among centres will be necessary. This state-of-the-art review' presents the indications and techniques for managing ankle articular cartilage lesions, as well as future directions and geographical differences in management.
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PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE:To assess the effects of medical comorbidities on the incidence of surgical site infection following primary Achilles tendon repair. A secondary aim was to assess the effects of specific medical comorbidities on the cost and extent of healthcare utilization related to surgical site infection following primary Achilles tendon repair. METHODS:24,269 patients undergoing primary Achilles tendon repair between 2005 and 2012 were examined. Current Procedural Terminology codes for primary Achilles tendon repair, and incision and drainage were used to search for and compile patient data from the United Healthcare Orthopedic and Medicare databases. Primary outcome measures regarding surgical site infection following primary Achilles tendon repair included the rate of occurrence, cost, and duration of treatment. RESULTS:Patients with one or more preexisting medical comorbidities at the time of surgery had an increased rate of surgical site infection compared to those without. Diabetes and vascular complications were associated with the highest surgical site infection rates. The rate of surgical incision and drainage was higher in patients with cardiac arrhythmias and uncomplicated hypertension. The presence of a medical comorbidity significantly increased the cost and duration of surgical site infection treatment. CONCLUSIONS:Medical comorbidities can complicate the postoperative course for patients undergoing Achilles tendon repair, which increases the cost of care and duration of treatment. A better understanding of the relationship between each medical comorbidity and surgical site infections following Achilles tendon repair may be ascertained with additional prospective studies, thus, allowing for a more accurate evaluation and stratification of surgical candidates to improve patient outcomes. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE/METHODS:Retrospective cohort study, Level III.

Background/UNASSIGNED:Lesion size is a major determinant of treatment strategy for osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLTs). Although magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is commonly used in the preoperative evaluation of OLTs, the reliability of the MRI measurement compared with the arthroscopic measurement is unknown. Purpose/UNASSIGNED:To compare preoperative lesion size measured on MRI versus intraoperative lesion size measured during arthroscopy. Study Design/UNASSIGNED:Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 2. Methods/UNASSIGNED:We retrospectively reviewed a consecutive series of patients treated with bone marrow stimulation for OLTs. The diameter of the lesion was measured at its widest point in 2 planes, and MRI measurements were compared with those made during arthroscopy using a custom-made graduated probe. Results/UNASSIGNED:= .05). Further, MRI overestimated coronal diameter in 48.9% (22/45) of ankles and underestimated in 26.7% (12/45) compared with the arthroscopic measurement. Similarly, sagittal plane MRI diameter measurements overestimated lesion size in 46.7% (21/45) of ankles and underestimated lesion size in 28.9% (13/45) compared with the arthroscopic findings. Conclusion/UNASSIGNED:In a majority of lesions, MRI overestimated OLT area and diameter compared with arthroscopy. Surgeons should be aware of the discrepancies that can exist between MRI and arthroscopic measurements, as these data are important in making treatment decisions and educating patients.

With our aging population desiring to remain active, the incidence and costs associated with managing knee pain from both acute injury and symptomatic knee osteoarthritis continue to dramatically increase. Current treatment methods fall short with respect to their ability to improve the intra-articular environment and restore normal joint homeostasis. With increasing basic science and clinical evidence showing efficacy, cell-based therapies such as bone marrow concentrate (BMC) hold promise as a nonsurgical joint preserving treatment approach. BMC has inherent advantages over other treatments commonly used for various knee pathologies because it is a point-of-care orthobiologic product that uniquely and simultaneously delivers growth factors, anti-inflammatory proteins, and mesenchymal stem cells. There is increasing evidence for the use of BMC for repair of focal cartilage defects and for the treatment of generalized knee pain. However, continued high-quality studies are necessary for the clinical utility of BMC to be critically assessed with particular attention paid to appropriate patient selection, standardized aspiration, and processing and reporting of both functional and imaging-based outcomes.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE:The purpose of this study is to systematically review the literature and to evaluate the reported rehabilitation protocols, return to play guidelines and subsequent rates and timing of return to play following bone marrow stimulation (BMS) for osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLT). METHODS:MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library were searched according to the PRISMA guidelines in September 2017. The rate and timing of return to play was assessed. The rehabilitation protocols were recorded, including time to start range of motion, partial weight-bearing and complete weight-bearing. RESULTS:Fifty-seven studies with 3072 ankles were included, with a mean age of 36.9 years (range 23-56.8 years), and a mean follow-up of 46.0 months (range 1.5-141 months). The mean rate of return to play was 86.8% (range 60-100%), and the mean time to return to play was 4.5 months (range 3.5-5.9 months). There was large variability in the reported rehabilitation protocols. Range of motion exercises were most often allowed to begin in the first week (46.2%), and second week postoperatively (23.1%). The most commonly reported time to start partial weight-bearing was the first week (38.8%), and the most frequently reported time of commencing full weight-bearing was 6 weeks (28.8%). Surgeons most often allowed return to play at 4 months (37.5%). CONCLUSIONS:There is a high rate of return following BMS for OLT with 86.8% and the mean time to return to play was 4.5 months. There is also a significant deficiency in reported rehabilitation protocols, and poor quality reporting in return to play criteria. Early weightbearing and early postoperative range of motion exercises appear to be advantageous in accelerated return to sports. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE/METHODS:Level IV.

Residual symptoms often persist even after successful operative reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) of ankle fractures. Concurrent ankle arthroscopic procedures (CAAPs) have been proposed to improve clinical outcomes; however, a dearth of evidence is available supporting this practice. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the reoperation and complication rates after ORIF of ankle fractures with and without CAAPs. Reoperations and complications after ORIF of ankle fractures were identified using the PearlDiver database from January 2007 to December 2011. The CAAPs included bone marrow stimulation, debridement, synovectomy, and unspecified cartilage procedures. Reoperation procedures consisted of ankle fracture repeat fixation, arthroscopic procedures, osteochondral autograft transfers, and ankle arthrodesis. Of the 32,307 patients who underwent ankle fracture fixation, 248 received CAAP and 32,059 did not. No significant difference was found in the reoperation rate between the 2 groups (7.7% versus 8.6%; odds ratio 0.89; 95% confidence interval 0.55 to 1.42; p = .61). Of the 248 patients in the CAAP group, 19 (7.7%) underwent reoperation, of which 13 (68.4%) were arthroscopic debridement and 6 were either ankle refixation or osteochondral autograft transfer. For the non-CAAP group, 3021 reoperation procedures were performed, consisting of ankle refixation in 83.2%, arthroscopic procedures in 14.3%, and ankle arthrodesis in 2.5%. The complication rate in the non-CAAP group included wound dehiscence in 2.4%, wound surgery in 0.4%, deep vein thrombosis in 0.8%, and pulmonary embolism in 0.4%. No complications were detected in the CAAP group. Ankle fracture fixation with CAAPs did not increase the postoperative reoperation rate compared with ankle fracture fixation without CAAPs.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE:To clarify if the use of concentrated bone marrow aspirate (CBMA) would affect both postoperative functional outcomes and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) outcomes compared with those of autologous osteochondral transplantation (AOT) alone; in addition, to assess the efficacy of CBMA reducing the presence of postoperative cyst formation following AOT in the treatment of osteochondral lesions of the talus. METHODS:Fifty-four (92%) of 59 eligible patients who underwent AOT between 2004 and 2008 were retrospectively assessed at a minimum of 5-year follow-up. Twenty-eight patients were treated with AOT and CBMA (AOT/CBMA group) and 26 patients were treated with AOT alone (AOT-alone group). Clinical outcomes were evaluated using the Foot and Ankle Outcome Scores (FAOS) and Short-Form 12 (SF-12) preoperatively and at final follow-up. Postoperative MRI was evaluated with the modified Magnetic Resonance Observation of Cartilage Repair Tissue (MOCART) scoring system. Cyst formation was also evaluated on postoperative MRI. RESULTS:The mean FAOS and SF-12 significantly improved in both the AOT/CBMA and AOT-alone groups, but there were no statistical differences between groups in FAOS (80.5 vs 75.5, P = .225) and SF-12 (71.1 vs 69.6, P = .756) at final follow-up. Additionally, there was no difference in the mean MOCART score (80.4 vs 84.3, P = .484); however, AOT/CBMA did result in a statistically lower rate of cyst formation (46.4% vs 76.9%, P = .022). No significant differences were found in the mean postoperative FAOS and SF-12 between patients with and without cysts postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS:CBMA reduced postoperative cyst occurrence rate in patients treated with AOT; however, CBMA did not result in significant differences in medium term functional outcomes and MOCART score in patients who underwent AOT. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE/METHODS:Level III, retrospective comparative trial.

Surgical techniques for the management of recalcitrant osteochondral lesions of the talus have improved; however, the poor healing potential of cartilage may impede long-term outcomes. Repair (microfracture) or replacement (osteochondral transplants) is the standard of care. Reparative strategies lead to production of fibrocartilage, which, compared with the native type II articular cartilage, has decreased mechanical and wear properties. The success of osteochondral transplants may be hindered by poor integration between grafts and host that results in peripheral cell death and cyst formation. These challenges have led to the investigation of biologic adjuvants to augment treatment. In vitro and in vivo models have demonstrated promise for cartilage regeneration by decreasing inflammatory damage and increasing the amount of type II articular cartilage. Further research is needed to investigate optimal formulations and time points of administration. In addition, clinical trials are needed to investigate the long-term effects of augmentation.

Regenerative cell therapies are emerging as promising treatments for numerous musculoskeletal conditions, including knee osteoarthritis (OA). Adipose-derived stem cells and possibly other adipose-based therapies have a greater chondrogenic potential than stem cells derived from bone marrow, and thus a lot of attention is being placed on them as potential regenerative agents in the treatment of knee OA. Several types of adipose-based therapies have good basic science and preclinical data supporting their translation to human therapeutic intervention. Cultured, adipose-derived stem cells appear to be good source of bioactive cells with convenient accessibility, relative abundance, and well-documented regenerative capacity. Non-culture expanded adipose-based therapy, in the forms of stromal vascular fraction and most recently micronized adipose tissue (MAT), have been utilized in patients to treat OA and other cartilage abnormalities with encouraging preliminary data. These adipose-based therapies have shown a lot of therapeutic potential; however, because of the regulatory restrictions on enzymatic isolation and cell expansion, only MAT is currently available in clinical practice in the United States. While no serious adverse reactions have been reported, adipose-derived therapies also have the potential for adverse reactions including inflammation and infection. The current review provides an update on the latest research and presents this evidence on the therapeutic potential of adipose-based therapies in the treatment of knee OA.

Osteochondral defects or lesions of the talus represent a management challenge. Arthroscopic débridement is the treatment of choice for patients with an osteochondral lesion of the talus in whom nonsurgical treatment fails. Although surgeons have a better understanding of the risk factors for failed débridement in patients with an osteochondral lesion of the talus, the treatment of patients in whom a high risk for failed débridement exists and patients in whom débridement fails is controversial. Surgeons should understand the current adjunct therapies available for the management of osteochondral lesions of the talus, including cartilage preparations, platelet-rich plasma, bone marrow aspirate, bone graft or bone graft substitutes, and whole bone cartilage transfer (osteochondral autograft transfer); however, evidence for the use of one adjunct therapy more than another is lacking.