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Background: Medial patellar facet lesions have been well-described in the setting of patellar instability. However, relatively little is known about risk factors for atraumatic medial patellar facet lesions. Purpose/Hypothesis: To identify clinical and radiographic risk factors for medial patellar facet lesions in patients without a history of trauma or patellar instability. It was hypothesized that a posterior tibial tubercle relative to the trochlear groove would be a risk factor for atraumatic medial patellar facet lesions. Study Design: Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: A total of 37 patients with atraumatic medial patellar facet lesions were matched by age, sex, and body mass index with 37 control patients without a history of patellofemoral dysplasia. Demographic and imaging characteristics were compared between groups. Plain radiography was used to evaluate Wiberg type, and magnetic resonance imaging was used to calculate Caton-Deschamps index, tibial tubercle-trochlear groove distance, trochlear facet asymmetry ratio, patellotrochlear index, sulcus depth, patellar bisect ratio, and tibial tubercle height. Statistically significant variables from univariate analysis were used as inputs to the multivariate regression model to assess independent risk factors. Results: There were no differences between groups with respect to Wiberg type, Caton-Deschamps index, tibial tubercle-trochlear groove distance, sulcus depth, or patellotrochlear index (P >.05 for all). The medial facet lesion group had a larger medial trochlear facet (trochlear facet asymmetry ratio, 0.72 ± 0.11 vs 0.60 ± 0.09; P <.001), a more medial-lying patella in the trochlear groove (patellar bisect ratio, 0.57 ± 0.06 vs 0.55 ± 0.07; P =.035), and a more posterior tibial tubercle relative to the trochlear groove (tibial tubercle height, -3.13 ± 5.21 vs -0.23 ± 5.93 mm; P =.030) compared with the control group. Multivariate regression analysis identified trochlear facet asymmetry and tibial tubercle height as independent risk factors for medial patellar facet lesions (relative risk = 97.3 [95% CI, 14.9-635.1], P <.001 and relative risk = 0.95 [95% CI, 0.92-0.98], P =.004, respectively). Conclusion: A relatively larger medial trochlear facet and a more posterior tibial tubercle relative to the trochlear groove were found to be risk factors for medial patellar facet lesions in patients without a history of trauma or patellar instability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Treatment of primary patellar dislocation (PPD) with chondral or osteochondral injury without patellar stabilization in the adolescent population may lead to unsatisfactory outcomes. Surgical treatment, with or without traditional medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) reconstruction, is a topic of interest. Purpose: To compare postoperative outcomes and rates of patellar redislocation and return to the operating room (OR) in patients who sustained a PPD with chondral or osteochondral injury and were surgically treated with versus without suture tape augmentation repair of the MPFL. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Adolescents who sustained a PPD with chondral or osteochondral injury confirmed via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and who were treated by a single surgeon between January 2009 and November 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were grouped into those who underwent chondral or osteochondral treatment with suture tape augmentation repair of the MPFL (ST group; n = 20) and those who did not have suture tape augmentation or repair (no-ST group; n = 20; 11 patients within the no-ST group did undergo medial imbrication). Demographic characteristics, postoperative knee range of motion, pre- and postoperative radiographic measurements, and preoperative MRI parameters were recorded, and minimum 2-year patient-reported outcomes were collected. Data were compared between the ST and no-ST groups. Results: The mean patient age was 15.02 years (range, 12.64-17.61 years) in the ST group and 14.18 years (range, 10.56-16.38 years) in the no-ST group, with a mean follow-up of 3.63 years (range, 2.01-6.11 years) in the ST group and 4.98 years (range, 2.23-9.03 years) in the no-ST group. Significantly more patients returned to the OR in the no-ST group compared with the ST group (7 [35%] vs 0 [0%]; P =.008). Further patellar stabilization with an MPFL allograft (n = 5) and manipulation under anesthesia (n = 2) were reasons for returning to the OR. There were no redislocation events in the ST group. Conclusion: Treating PPDs with chondral or osteochondral injury using suture tape to augment and repair the MPFL has promising advantages over not repairing it—including lower rates of postoperative patellar instability and return to the OR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Osteochondral injuries (OCIs) are common in patients with acute lateral patellar dislocation, which can produce both short- and long-;term adverse effects. However, the pattern of these injuries warrants further analysis, especially in relation to patient age. Purpose: To determine the overall prevalence of concomitant OCIs as well as the prevalence differences based on location and age after acute lateral patellar dislocations. Study design: Systematic review; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: A comprehensive search of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library was completed from inception to July 20, 2022. All articles reporting the prevalence of OCI were included. The sample characteristics such as age, study design, magnetic resonance imaging diagnostic data, and the number of patients with OCI were extracted. The Methodological Index for Non-Randomized Studies (MINORS) was used for quality assessment. The overall and per-;site injury rates were calculated, and the prevalence was stratified by age-;group (≤16 and >16 years) and compared. Results: The systematic review included 39 studies involving 3354 patients. MINORS scores were 11.94 ± 1.98 and 16 ± 3.46 in the noncomparative and comparative studies, respectively. The overall prevalence of bone bruises and OCI was 89.6% (95% CI, 77.4%-97.7%) and 48.8% (95% CI, 39.0%-58.7%), respectively. In both overall and >16-year-old patients, the lateral femoral condyle (LFC) was the most common site of bone bruise (90.5% [95% CI, 84.0%-95.6%] and 91.5% [95% CI, 84.3%-96.9%], respectively); however, the medial patellar bruise was more common in patients ≤16 years (89.2% [95% CI, 82.9%-94.4%]). Among the pooled sites of OCI, the medial patella accounted for the largest proportion (36.9% [95% CI, 28.0%-46.3%]). OCIs were more common in patients >16 years (52.6% [95% CI, 39.4%-65.6%]) than in patients ≤16 years (46.6% [95% CI, 33.2%-60.3%]). Conclusion: Bone bruises on the LFC were most prevalent overall and in patients >16 years, whereas bone bruises on the medial patella were more prevalent in patients ≤16 years. OCIs were frequently seen in patients >16 years, with the most common site being the medial patella. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It is unknown whether the outcomes achieved in the early period after revision lateral meniscal allograft transplantation (RLMAT) are maintained through the midterm period. Purpose: To evaluate the midterm clinical and radiological results of patients who underwent RLMAT. Study design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: We reviewed the outcomes of 19 RLMATs in 18 patients with at least 5 years of follow-up data. The mean follow-up period was 6 ± 1.1 years (range, 5-8.5 years). Clinical outcomes were assessed using the modified Lysholm score, the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) subjective score, and the Tegner activity level. Radiographic progression of arthritis was measured by the absolute and relative joint space widths on 45° of knee flexion posteroanterior radiographs preoperatively, 1 year postoperatively, and at the latest follow-up. Failure was defined as meniscocapsular separation, removal, or tear of more than half of the meniscal allograft on postoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or conversion to total knee arthroplasty. Of the 18 patients, 3 underwent ≥2 RLMATs. The survival rate was evaluated according to the number of revision surgeries. Results: For knees with an intact meniscus transplant at the final follow-up, the modified Lysholm and IKDC scores were significantly improved compared with preoperatively, but the Tegner activity level was unchanged. No significant differences were found in the absolute and relative joint space widths postoperatively. There were 6 failures within 3 years after RLMAT; the overall 5-year survival rate was 68.4% (13/19 knees). All failed knees showed bucket-handle tear patterns on MRI due to meniscocapsular healing failure. The survival rate decreased as the number of RLMATs increased-73.3% for a first RLMAT (n = 15 knees), 66.7% for a second RLMAT (n = 3 knees), and 0% for a third RLMAT (n = 1 knee). Midterm MRIs of 8 well-healed RLMATs showed evidence of meniscal degeneration; nonetheless, this did not affect clinical outcomes. Conclusion: The midterm results of RLMATs demonstrated a 5-year survival rate of 68.4% and positive clinical and radiological outcomes for failed MATs despite unimproved activity levels. Inadequate meniscocapsular healing was the leading cause of failure, and it needs to be carefully considered when performing RLMATs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Studies have shown that meniscal and chondral lesions are more common at the time of revision anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) compared with primary surgery; however, few have evaluated the same patients through both primary and revision surgery. Purpose: To describe the prevalence of meniscal and chondral lesions at the time of primary and subsequent revision ACLR and to determine the effect of age and femoral tunnel drilling technique on the development of intra-articular pathology over time. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: All patients who had primary and subsequent revision ACLR in the same knee between 1997 and 2022 were identified from a prospectively collated database. The grading of chondral surfaces in each compartment, the presence of any meniscal tears, and treatment performed were recorded. Patients were grouped according to age and femoral tunnel drilling technique to allow subgroup analysis. Results: Overall, 262 patients were included. Median age at primary surgery was 20.2 years. Lateral meniscal tears were more prevalent than medial tears at both primary (34.7% vs 28.2%; P =.11) and revision surgery (44.3% vs 40.8%; P =.43). Chondral lesions were most frequently found on the patella (8.8%) and the medial femoral condyle (MFC; 8.0%) at primary surgery. Between surgeries, new lesions developed most commonly on the MFC (13.0%) and the lateral femoral condyle (LFC; 11.1%). It was significantly more common for lateral meniscal tears treated with repair or left in situ at primary surgery to be healed at the time of revision surgery than medial tears (P =.01). Significantly more patients who had transtibial drilling of the femoral tunnel had a new meniscal tear at revision surgery (P =.001). Age did not have a significant influence on the prevalence of meniscal pathology. Conclusion: The prevalence of intra-articular pathology increased between primary and revision ACLR. Lateral meniscal tears were more prevalent than medial tears at both surgeries. At revision surgery, new chondral lesions were more commonly found on the MFC than the LFC. The higher incidence of new meniscal tears observed in the transtibial group may reflect the more vertical graft orientation with this technique and its inferior ability to control rotation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Humeral head reconstruction with fresh osteochondral allografts (OCA) serves as a potential treatment option for anatomic reconstruction. More specifically, talus OCA is a promising graft source because of its high congruency with a dense cartilaginous surface. Purpose: To analyze the surface geometry of the talus OCA plug augmentation for the management of shoulder instability with varying sizes of Hill-Sachs lesions (HSLs). Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: Seven fresh-frozen cadaveric shoulders were tested in this study. The humeral heads were analyzed using actual patients' computed tomography scans. Surface laser scan analysis was performed on 7 testing states: (1) native state; (2) small HSL; (3) talus OCA augmentation for small HSL; (4) medium HSL; (5) talus OCA augmentation for medium HSL; (6) large HSL; and (7) talus OCA augmentation for large HSL. OCA plugs were harvested from the talus allograft and placed in the most medial and superior aspect of each HSL lesion. Surface congruency was calculated as the mean absolute error and the root mean squared error in the distance. A 1-way repeated-measures analysis of variance was performed to evaluate the effects of the difference in the HSL size and associated talus OCA plugs on surface congruency and the HSL surface area. Results: The surface area analysis of the humeral head with the large (1469 ± 75 mm2), medium (1391 ± 81 mm2), and small (1230 ± 54 mm2) HSLs exhibited significantly higher surface areas than the native state (1007 ± 88 mm2; P <.001 for all sizes). The native state exhibited significantly lower surface areas as compared with after talus OCA augmentation for large HSLs (1235 ± 63 mm2; P <.001) but not for small or medium HSLs. Talus OCA augmentation yielded improved surface areas and congruency after treatment in small, medium, and large HSLs (P <.001). Conclusion: Talus OCA plug augmentation restored surface area and congruency across all tested HSLs, and the surface area was best improved with the most common HSLs—small and medium. Clinical Relevance: Talus OCA plugs may provide a viable option for restoring congruity of the shoulder in patients with recurrent anterior glenohumeral instability and an HSL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Treatment decisions for cartilage defects are often based on lesion size. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is widely used to diagnose cartilage defects noninvasively; however, their size estimated from MRI may differ from defect sizes measured during arthrotomy, especially after debridement to healthy cartilage if undergoing autologous chondrocyte implantation. Purpose/Hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reliability of 2 methods to assess knee cartilage defect size on preoperative MRI and determine their accuracy in predicting postdebridement defect sizes recorded during arthrotomy. It was hypothesized that defect size would be predicted more accurately by the total area of abnormal articular cartilage rather than the area of full-thickness cartilage loss as identified on MRI. Study Design: Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 3. Methods: This study included 64 patients (mean age, 41.8 ± 9.6 years) who underwent autologous cell therapy. Each patient received a 3-T MRI at 6.1 ± 3.0 weeks before cell implantation. Three raters, a radiologist, a surgeon, and a scientist, measured (1) the full-thickness cartilage defect area and (2) the total predicted abnormal cartilage area, identified by an abnormal signal on MRI. Interrater reliability was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Actual pre- and postdebridement defect sizes were obtained from intraoperative surgical notes. Postdebridement surgical measurements were considered the clinical reference standard and were compared with the radiologist's MRI measurements. Results: Eighty-seven defects were assessed, located on the lateral (n = 8) and medial (n = 26) femoral condyle, trochlea (n = 17), and patella (n = 36). The interrater reliability of the cartilage defect measurements on MRI was good to excellent for the full-thickness cartilage defect area (ICC = 0.74) and the total predicted abnormal cartilage area (ICC = 0.78). The median full-thickness cartilage defect area on MRI underestimated the median postdebridement defect area by 78.3%, whereas the total predicted abnormal cartilage area measurement underestimated the postdebridement defect area by 14.3%. Conclusion: Measuring the full-thickness cartilage defect area on MRI underestimated the area to treat, whereas measuring the total abnormal area provided a better estimate of the actual defect size for treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patella alta is a risk factor for recurrent patellar instability. Differences in chondral injury in patients with patellar instability between patella alta and patella norma have not been evaluated. Purpose: To analyze whether preoperative cartilage damage differs in severity and location between patellar instability patients with and without patella alta. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Patients with patellar instability who underwent patellar realignment surgery at a single institution with preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were included. After measurement of Caton-Deschamps index (CDI) on MRI, patients were divided into patella alta (CDI ≥1.3) and patella norma groups. The area measurement and depth and underlying structures (AMADEUS) score was used to quantify cartilage defect severity on MRI. Results: A total of 121 patients were divided into patella alta (n = 50) and patella norma (n = 71) groups. The groups did not differ significantly in sex ratio, age at MRI, body mass index, mean reported number of previous dislocations, or mean interval between first reported dislocation and date of MRI. A total of 34 (68%) of the patella alta group and 44 (62%) of the patella norma group had chondral defects (P =.625) with no significant between-group differences in defect size (P =.419). In both groups, chondral injuries most affected the medial patellar facet (55% in patella alta vs 52% in patella norma), followed by the lateral facet (25% vs 18%), and lateral femoral condyle (10% vs 14%). A smaller proportion of patients had full-thickness defects in the patella alta compared with the patella norma group (60% vs 82%; P =.030). The overall AMADEUS score was higher for the patella alta versus the patella norma group (68.9 vs 62.1; P =.023), indicating superior articular cartilage status. Conclusion: Patients with patella alta had less severe cartilage injury after patellar instability, including a lower proportion with full-thickness defects and better overall cartilage grade. The location of injury when present was similar between alta and norma, with most defects affecting the medial facet, lateral facet, and lateral femoral condyle in descending frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ghrelin, an amino acid hormone secreted primarily from the stomach, can regulate bone metabolism, regulate inflammation via suppressing proinflammatory cytokines, and suppress expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). Purpose: To measure synovial fluid levels of ghrelin in young patients with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear to assess the role of ghrelin as a potential biomarker for cartilage injury. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: This study included 120 patients who underwent ACL reconstructionbetween January 1, 2016, and May 31, 2021. We categorized 60 patients with acute cartilage injury (International Cartilage Regeneration & Joint Preservation Society grade 2 or 3) as the acute group and 60 patients with no acute cartilage injury as the nonacute group, with the healthy contralateral knee of each patient acting as the control group (n = 120). Synovial fluid samples were collected from the knees in the operating room before ACL reconstruction. We assessed the inflammatory biomarkers interleukin (IL)-6, MMP-1, MMP-9, and MMP-13, as well as serum ghrelin level and Mankin score, and results were compared between the 3 study groups with the Mann-Whitney U test. Results: Lower serum ghrelin levels in the synovial fluid were found in the acute group compared with the nonacute group and healthy controls (232.4 vs 434.4 vs 421.5 pg/mL, respectively; P <.001). Ghrelin level in the synovial fluid was significantly and positively correlated with IL-6 (r = 0.4223; P <.0001), MMP-13 (r = 0.3402; P <.0001), and Mankin score (r = 0.1453; P =.0244). Conclusion: In patients with ACL injury, ghrelin synovial fluid was significantly differently expressed in patients with cartilage injury and no cartilage injury. Clinical Relevance: Ghrelin synovial fluid has the potential to be a biomarker to predict acute cartilage injury in patients with ACL injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite increased recognition of coexisting tibial and talar osteochondral lesions (OCLs), the risk factors influencing clinical outcomes remain unclear. Purpose: To report clinical follow-up results after arthroscopic microfracture surgery in patients with OCLs of the distal tibial plafond and talus and assess possible factors affecting these clinical outcomes. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: A total of 40 patients with coexisting talar and tibial OCLs who underwent arthroscopic microfracture surgery were included. For analysis, the study used the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) scale, Karlsson-Peterson scale, and visual analog scale (VAS) for pain for clinical evaluations on the day before surgery, 12 months after surgery, and at the last follow-up. A stepwise regression model and Spearman rank correlation were used to assess possible factors affecting these clinical outcomes. Results: The median follow-up time was 34.5 months (interquartile range [IQR], 26.5-54 months). At the final follow-up, the cohort included 40 patients (26 men and 14 women) with a mean age of 38.8 years (range, 19-60 years). The median AOFAS score increased from 57.5 (IQR, 47-65) before surgery to 88 (IQR, 83-92.5) at the final follow-up, the median Karlsson-Peterson score increased from 48 (IQR, 38.5-67) to 82 (IQR, 76-92), and the median VAS score improved from 5 (IQR, 4-6) to 1 (IQR, 0-2). All scale scores showed significant differences between the preoperative and final follow-up evaluations (P <.001). In the stepwise regression model and Spearman rank correlation analysis, the grade of tibial OCL had a significant independent effect on the final postoperative AOFAS scores of the patients (β = –0.502, P =.001; r = –0.456, P =.003). The size of the tibial lesion also had a significant independent effect on the final postoperative Karlsson-Peterson scores of the patients (β = –0.444, P =.004; r = –0.357, P =.024). Conclusion: Arthroscopic microfracture treatment for coexisting talar and tibial OCLs can achieve good short- to midterm clinical outcomes. The grade and size of tibial OCLs are the main risk factors affecting the prognostic functional scores of such patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) and matrix-induced autologous chondrocyte implantation (MACI) are performed to treat focal chondral defects (FCDs); both are 2-step procedures involving a biopsy, followed by transplantation. There is little published research evaluating ACI/MACI in patients who undergo a biopsy alone. Purpose: To determine (1) the value of ACI/MACI cartilage biopsies and concomitant procedures in patients with FCDs of the knee and (2) the conversion rate to cartilage transplantation as well as the rate of reoperation. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: A retrospective review was performed of 46 patients (63% female) who underwent a MACI (or ACI) biopsy between January 2013 and January 2018. Preoperative data, intraoperative data, and postoperative outcomes were assessed at a minimum of 2 years after the biopsy. The conversion rate from a biopsy to transplantation and the reoperation rate were calculated and analyzed. Results: Among the 46 patients included, 17 (37.0%) underwent subsequent surgery, with only 12 undergoing cartilage restoration surgery, for an overall transplantation rate of 26.1%. Of these 12 patients, 9 underwent MACI/ACI, 2 underwent osteochondral allograft transplantation (OCA), and 1 underwent particulated juvenile articular cartilage implantation at 7.2 ± 7.5 months after the biopsy. The reoperation rate was 16.7% (1 patient after MACI/ACI and 1 patient after OCA) at 13.5 ± 2.3 months after transplantation. Conclusion: Arthroscopic surgery with debridement, chondroplasty, loose body removal, meniscectomy/meniscal repair, and other treatment approaches of knee compartment abnormalities at the time of a biopsy appeared to be sufficient in improving function and reducing pain in patients with knee FCDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is used to estimate the quantity of tissue provided for fresh osteochondral allograft (FOCA) in the knee. Use of 3-dimensional (3D) MRI modeling software for this purpose may improve defect assessment, providing a more accurate estimate of osteochondral allograft tissue required and eliminating the possibility of acquiring an inadequate quantity of tissue for transplant surgery. Purpose: To evaluate the capacity of damage assessment (DA) 3D MRI modeling software to preoperatively estimate the osteochondral allograft surface area used in surgery. Study Design: Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 2. Methods: Included were 36 patients who had undergone FOCA surgery to the distal femur. Based on the preoperative MRI scans, the DA software estimated the total surface area of the lesion as well as the surface areas of each subarea of injury: full-thickness cartilage injury (International Cartilage Repair Society [ICRS] grade 4), partial-thickness cartilage injury (ICRS grade 2-3), bone marrow edema, bone loss, and bone cyst. The probability of overestimation of graft tissue areas by the DA software was calculated using a Bayes-moderated proportion, and the relationship between the prediction discrepancy (ie, over- or underestimation) and the magnitude of the DA estimate was assessed using nonparametric local-linear regression. Results: The DA total surface area measurement overestimated the actual area of FOCA tissue transplanted 81.6% (95% CI, 67.2%-91.4%) of the time, corresponding to a median overestimation of 3.14 cm2, or 1.78 times the area of FOCA transplanted. The DA software overestimated the area of FOCA transplanted 100% of the time for defect areas measuring >4.52 cm2. For defects <4.21 cm2, the maximum-magnitude underestimation of tissue area was 1.45 cm2 (on a fold scale, 0.63 times the transplanted area); a plausible heuristic is that multiplying small DA-measured areas of injury by a factor of ∼1.5 would yield an overestimation of the tissue area transplanted most of the time. Conclusion: The DA 3D modeling software overestimated osteochondral defect size >80% of the time in 36 distal femoral FOCA cases. A policy of consistent but limited overestimation of osteochondral defect size may provide a more reliable basis for predicting the minimum safe amount of allograft tissue to acquire for transplantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The extent to which concomitant osteotomy provides an improvement in clinical outcomes after cartilage repair procedures is unclear. Purpose: To review the existing literature to compare clinical outcomes of patients undergoing cartilage repair of the tibiofemoral joint with versus without concomitant osteotomy. Study Design: Systematic review; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: A systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines by searching PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and Embase to identify studies that directly compared outcomes between cartilage repair of the tibiofemoral joint alone (group A) versus cartilage repair with concomitant osteotomy (high tibial osteotomy [HTO] or distal femoral osteotomy [DFO]) (group B). Studies on cartilage repair of the patellofemoral joint were excluded. The search terms used were as follows: osteotomy AND knee AND ("autologous chondrocyte" OR "osteochondral autograft" OR "osteochondral allograft" OR microfracture). Outcomes in groups A and B were compared based on reoperation rate, complication rate, procedure payments, and patient-reported outcomes (Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score [KOOS], visual analog scale [VAS] for pain, satisfaction, and WOMAC). Results: Included in the review were 5 studies (1 level 2 study, 2 level 3 studies, 2 level 4 studies) with 1747 patients in group A and 520 patients in group B. The mean patient ages were 34.7 and 37.5 years in groups A and B, respectively, and the mean lesion sizes were 4.0 and 4.5 cm2, respectively. The mean follow-up time was 44.6 months. The most common lesion location was the medial femoral condyle (n = 999). Preoperative alignment averaged 1.8° and 5.5° of varus in groups A and B, respectively. One study found significant differences between groups in KOOS, VAS, and satisfaction, favoring group B. The reoperation rates were 47.4% and 17.3% in groups A and B, respectively (P <.0001). Conclusion: Patients undergoing cartilage repair of the tibiofemoral joint with concomitant osteotomy might be expected to experience greater improvement in clinical outcomes with a lower reoperation rate compared with those undergoing cartilage repair alone. Surgeons preparing for cartilage procedures of the knee joint should pay particular attention to preoperative malalignment of the lower extremity to optimize outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Increased activity level is generally reported to be positively related to improved knee function after knee surgery. However, little research has been conducted into this relationship on an individual patient basis, or the influence of demographic and psychosocial factors such as patient affect—the subjective experience of emotion. Hypothesis: The relationship between postoperative activity level and knee function will vary between patients and will be influenced by the patients' affect and demographic characteristics. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Activity, knee function, demographic, and affect data were collected from patients enrolled in an ongoing trial for the treatment of articular cartilage lesions at preoperative and 2-, 12-, and 15-month postoperative points. Quantile mixed regression modeling was used to determine the patient-to-patient variation in activity level and knee function. Multiple linear regression and partial correlation analyses were performed to determine whether demographic characteristics and patient affect were associated with this variation. Results: A total of 62 patients were included in the study (23 female; 39 male; mean age, 38.3 ± 9.5 years). We found substantial variation between patients in the relationship between activity level and knee function, with most patients (n = 56) demonstrating a positive relation (positive slope), but 6 patients demonstrating a negative relation (negative slope). A negative affect (NA) score was significantly correlated with the slope between activity level and knee function (r S = –0.30; P =.018) and was a significant individual predictor of knee function at 15 months postoperatively (coefficient = –3.5; P =.025). Conclusion: Our results suggest that the relationship between activity level and knee function varies between patients. The patients with a higher NA score were likely to report smaller improvements in knee function with increasing activity levels compared with those with a lower NA score. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: In cases of patellar dislocation, surgical intervention is typically reserved for patients with recurrent instability, unless a chondral or osteochondral fragment is identified following the initial dislocation. There is concern that multiple dislocation events may result in a higher incidence of articular cartilage injury. The purpose of this study is to compare the incidence of articular cartilage damage in patients with a single patellar dislocation to those with multiple patellar dislocations, and secondarily to compare the location and severity of chondral injury between the groups. Methods: Patients diagnosed with patellar dislocation were retrospectively identified by ICD-9 & ICD-10 codes from 2017-2021. Inclusion criteria were patients with a documented history of patellar dislocation with an MRI of the affected knee available for review. Patients with articular cartilage injury prior to dislocation event were excluded. Medical records were reviewed to determine the number of previous patellar dislocations. Articular cartilage injury was graded using a validated system, AMADEUS (mean total Area Measurement And DEpth & Underlying Structures, a scale from 0 to 100; 100 = no injury). Parametric continuous data was calculated by performing t tests. Nonparametric continuous data was calculated by performing Mann-Whitney tests. Chi-Square or Fisher's Exact tests were used to calculate p values for categorical data. Results: After chart and imaging review, 233 patients were included: 117 with a primary dislocation and 116 with recurrent dislocations. Fifty-one (43.6%) of the primary dislocations and 68 (58.6%) of the recurrent dislocations were found to have articular cartilage injuries (p=0.068). When comparing the primary and recurrent groups, there was no difference in age, BMI, race, or laterality, but the recurrent group contained a significantly larger proportion of females (46.2% vs. 65.5%, P=0.004). There was no difference in lesion size, subchondral bone defect, presence of bone edema, or total AMADEUS score between groups (p=0.231). Subgroup analysis revealed that when cartilage damage is present, patients from the primary group had significantly more full-thickness lesions (p<0.001) and lower AMADEUS scores (p=0.016). The primary group had an increased proportion of medial facet and lateral femoral condyle lesions (p=0.026). Conclusions: There is a high percentage of cartilage injury in patients with a history of primary and recurrent patellar instability, with 43.6% and 58.6% of patients respectively, showing articular cartilage injury on MRI. Chondral injury primarily affected the medial and lateral patellar facets, and the lateral femoral condyle in both the primary and recurrent dislocation groups. However, the primary group demonstrated an increased number of full thickness lesions and subchondral bone defects. There was no difference in lesion size, presence of bone edema, or total AMADEUS score between the primary and recurrent groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a common degenerative or post-traumatic condition, and may affect one or more compartments, including the medial and lateral tibiofemoral or patellofemoral articulations. Isolated patellofemoral osteoarthritis (PFOA) has been reported in 24% of women and 11% of men aged > 55 years presenting for evaluation of knee pain. PFOA is a result of abnormal mechanical loading across the patellofemoral joint, often related to prior instability, trauma, malalignment or post- surgical changes. Treatment of PFOA typically includes a trial of conservative management, including physical therapy, injections and activity modification. Operative treatment involves joint preservation (i.e., cartilage restoration procedures, tibial tubercle osteotomy, or lateral lengthening) and joint replacement (patellofemoral arthroplasty) procedures. In contrast to the tibiofemoral compartments, the current literature lacks a reliable magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scoring system to quantitatively evaluate patellofemoral cartilage degeneration. The present study aims to describe, apply and assess the inter-observer reliability of a novel MRI scoring system for assessment of the patellofemoral cartilage. Methods: We conducted a query of an institutional database to identify all patients who underwent patellofemoral arthroplasty by the senior surgeon (S.M.S.) between January 2012 and December 2021. Patients with poor quality or lacking preoperative knee MRI were excluded. MRI scans were performed on 1.5 or 3.0-Tesla magnets utilizing dedicated extremity coils and standardized clinical imaging protocols consistent with International Cartilage Regeneration and Joint Preservation Society (ICRS) guidelines for the assessment of articular cartilage. Preoperative MRI scans were reviewed and patellofemoral cartilage was scored by a fellowship-trained musculoskeletal radiologist and a fellowship- trained orthopedic knee surgeon using our novel MRI scoring system. The novel semi-quantitative MRI patellofemoral scoring system includes assessment of patellar and trochlear cartilage, bony architecture, patellofemoral alignment, and synovitis (Table 1). For statistical analysis, inter-observer agreement was assessed using Cohen-Kappa coefficient for categorical variables, and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for the total score. The measurement agreement for reach variable and total score was interpreted according to the Landis and Koch criteria: 0 - 0.2, slight; 0.21 - 0.4, fair; 0.41 - 0.6, moderate; 0.61 - 0.80, substantial; 0.81 - 1.0, almost perfect. Results: A total of 72 patients were included in the final analysis. The mean (± standard deviation) age and body mass index (BMI) of all patients was 53.30±7.72 years and 27.3±5.37 kg/m, respectively. Patellar bone edema and patellar cysts demonstrated moderate inter-observer agreement. All cartilage features, trochlear bone edema and cysts, osteophytes, subchondral remodeling, patellar height, and synovitis demonstrated substantial inter-observer agreement. Patellofemoral alignment and total score demonstrated almost perfect inter-observer agreement (Table 2 and Figure 1). Conclusions: The novel MRI scoring system for PFOA proposed by the authors is an attempt to develop a comprehensive method to assess patellofemoral joint cartilage degeneration, including evaluation of patellar and trochlear cartilage changes, bony architecture, patellofemoral alignment, and synovitis. Importantly, all features of the scoring system demonstrated at least moderate interobserver agreement, with the majority of variables and total score demonstrating substantial to near perfect agreement. Future studies should aim to validate this scoring system in patients with and without patellofemoral arthritis and attempt to correlate scores with clinical outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patellar dislocation is a common injury in children and adolescents. There is a lack of information about concomitant osteochondral lesions in these patients. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that the likelihood of chondral or osteochondral lesions would increase with each prior patellar dislocation and that the appearance of lesions in surgically treated children and adolescents would be influenced by age, sex, injury mechanism, and body mass index (BMI). Study Design: Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Inclusion criteria were (1) age <18 years, (2) surgical treatment with diagnostic arthroscopy of the knee including description of chondral and osteochondral lesions, and (3) maximum time period between the last patellar dislocation and presentation in our department of 6 weeks and maximum of 4 weeks between presentation and surgery. A total of 153 children (173 knees) with a mean age of 13.0 ± 2.1 years were included. All surgical reports and intraoperative arthroscopic imaging were analyzed retrospectively for the location and severity of lesions. The likelihood of lesions was calculated with multiple stepwise regression models regarding injury mechanism, number of dislocations, sex, age, physeal closure, and BMI. Results: The regression model to predict femoral lesions was statistically significant (χ2[5] = 26.55; P <.001) and identified male sex, BMI ≥25, traumatic injury mechanism, and physeal closure as independent factors associated with the appearance of femoral lesions. The second regression model predicting the appearance of patellar lesions was also statistically significant (χ2[4] = 26.07; P <.001) and identified the traumatic injury mechanism as a single independent predictor for patellar lesions. Conclusion: BMI ≥25, male sex, and physeal closure were factors significantly associated with femoral chondral and osteochondral lesions in our cohort. In case of traumatic lateral patellar dislocation (LPD), the likelihood of patellar and femoral chondral and osteochondral lesions is significantly higher than in nontraumatic LPD. Early magnetic resonance imaging and surgical treatment should be considered in obese patients, male patients, and patients with physeal closure and after traumatic LPD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Some surgeons are now considering fixation of traumatic chondral-only fragments in juvenile knees, but few data remain to guide treatment. Purpose: To determine if surgical fixation of chondral-only fragments in the juvenile knee results in an adequate healing response with successful imaging and clinical outcomes. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: Data were collected on 16 skeletally immature patients treated with fixation of chondral-only fragments with a minimum 1-year follow-up. Patients were selected by the operating surgeons based on the quality and size of the chondral fragment. Demographic data, lesion characteristics, surgical procedure details, complications, and postoperative imaging were assessed. Validated outcome measures were collected pre- and postoperatively and included the following scores: International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC), Marx Activity Scale, Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), Hospital for Special Surgery Pediatric Functional Activity–Brief Scale (HSS Pedi-FABS), Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS)–Physical Health and PROMIS–Psychological Health, and Tegner. Results: The mean age of our patient cohort was 14.9 years. The mean size of the repaired defects measured 3.2 cm2. Injury sites included the patella (n = 1), medial femoral condyle (n = 3), trochlea (n = 4), and lateral femoral condyle (n = 8). Within the mean follow-up time of 42.3 months (range, 15-145), there was 1 clinical failure with loosening of the chondral fragment and the need for reoperation. At a mean follow-up of 3.5 years, the mean (interquartile range) patient-reported outcome scores were as follows: IKDC, 95.2 (94.3-100); Marx Activity Scale, 11.5 (11.5-16); KOOS, 95.81 (93.5-95.81); HSS Pedi-FABS, 16.94 (11.5-26); PROMIS–Physical Health, 93.75% (90%-100%); PROMIS–Psychological Health, 90% (88.75%-100%); and Tegner, 5.69 (4.75-7). All patients who were engaged in sports before injury returned to the same or higher level of competition with the exception of 1 patient. Conclusion: Primary repair of chondral-only injuries with internal fixation can be a successful treatment option in selected patients. Clinical and imaging results at final follow-up suggest that reintegration of the cartilage fragment is achievable and leads to excellent clinical function and a high return-to-sports rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The return-to-sport rate at 2 years after multiple-revision anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstructions has not been evaluated. Hypothesis: It was hypothesized that patients who undergo multiple-revision ACL reconstructions would have a lower return-to-sport rate at 2 years after surgery than those who undergo a single-revision reconstruction. Furthermore, it was hypothesized that the multiple-revision group would have lower functional scores. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: A single-center cohort study in patients who underwent revision ACL reconstruction was begun in 2012. This study included 2 groups: Patients who underwent a single revision, and those who underwent multiple revisions. The main evaluation criterion was the return to sport at the 2-year follow-up. The secondary criteria were the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC), Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), Lysholm, and ACL–Return to Sport after Injury (ACL-RSI) functional knee scores at the 1- and 2-year follow-ups. Results: A total of 322 patients (single-revision group: n = 302; multiple-revision group: n = 20) were included. A significant difference in the percentage of patients who stopped all sports activity was found between the 2 groups at 2 years (single-revision group: 19.4%; multiple-revision group: 50%). The return-to-sport rate at the same or lower level of performance was higher in the single-revision group as well (17% vs 14.3% for return at the same level; 45.6% vs 14.3% for return at a lower level; P =.03). At the 2-year follow-up, the functional scores of the single-revision group were significantly higher those than in the multiple-revision group: IKDC (77.7 ± 13.82 vs 64.79 ± 15.22; P <.001), KOOS (72.66 ± 17.63 vs 52.5 ± 15.64; P <.001), Lysholm (84.05 ± 11.88 vs 72.5 ± 13.49; P <.001), and ACL-RSI (52.34 ± 21.83 vs 46.43 ± 14.8; P =.0036). Conclusion: Only a small percentage of patients returned to the same level of sport after single- revision and multiple-revision ACL reconstruction, yet significantly more in the former. More patients who underwent multiple revisions gave up their sport. Functional scores were higher for single-revision than multiple-revision surgeries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Currently, there is no consensus regarding the accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the detection of acetabular chondral delamination (ACD) in patients with femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), and, correspondingly, the preoperative diagnosis of ACD remains challenging. Hypothesis: It was hypothesized that MRI would have relatively high accuracy in detecting ACD in patients with FAI. Study Design: Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 2. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated patients who attended the sports medicine clinic of our department and underwent arthroscopic surgery for the diagnosis of FAI between January 2018 and December 2020. All patients underwent preoperative 3.0-T MRI. ACD was evaluated by 2 raters on 3.0-T MRI scans, and interrater and intrarater reliability was assessed. Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of MRI for diagnosis of ACD were calculated, using arthroscopic surgery as the standard. Results: A total of 233 patients (mean age, 37.4 years; 99 male and 134 female) were included in this study. The presence of ACD in 101 (43.3%) patients was confirmed during hip arthroscopy. The intraobserver reliability of both of the observers in detecting ACD using 3.0-T MRI scans was almost perfect (observer 1, kappa coefficient [κ] = 0.909 [95% CI, 0.854-0.964]; observer 2, κ = 0.937 [95% CI, 0.890-0.984]), and the interobserver reliability between the observers (κ = 0.801 [95% CI, 0.723-0.879]) was substantial. The overall sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of preoperative MRI to detect ACD were 83.7%, 82%, 74.2%, and 89.1%, respectively. Conclusion: It was found that 3.0-T MRI had a relatively high sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV for diagnosis of ACD in patients with FAI and could be a reliable method of diagnosing ACD preoperatively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Microfracture (MFx) technique is the most commonly used first-line treatment for cartilage injuries; however, it has been shown to have inferior long-term clinical outcomes as the repaired tissue is predominantly fibrocartilage. Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate (BMAC) treatment has been shown to enhance the healing ability of cartilage repair, superior to MFx treatment alone, although chondral defect filling was achieved with fibrocartilage or "hyaline-like" cartilage. Therefore, new therapeutic strategies to further improve cartilage healing following defects are in need. Fisetin (FIS) is a compound with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and senolytic activity capable of eliminating senescent cells systemically. Previous studies have reported that FIS attenuates the progression of osteoarthritis and osteoporosis in aged mice, however, whether FIS treatment improves the quality of repaired cartilage in MFx-treated acute osteochondral defects augmented with BMAC has not yet been investigated. We hypothesized that FIS or autologous BMAC, or a combination of the two, would enhance MFx procedure both histologically and mechanically in the repair of osteochondral defects in a rabbit model. Methods: All surgical procedures were performed by an experienced orthopaedic surgeon and followed Institutional IACUC approved protocols. Sixty-four skeletally mature New Zealand White rabbits at seven months old were used in this study. Animal procedure: Before surgery, bone marrow aspirate was collected through the iliac crests in each rabbit under anesthesia and processed via a two-step centrifugation method to prepare BMAC. After exposing the bilateral knee joints through the medial parapatellar approach, osteochondral defects (diameter: 5 mm, depth: 2 mm) were created bilaterally in the patellar groove of each rabbit, followed by the MFx procedure (5 holes with 2 mm depth) to allow bleeding at each MFx hole as previously described (Fig.1). BMACs were injected into the left knee joint as an autograft immediately after closing the joint capsule in all rabbits, with the right knee as a control (no BMAC transplantation). Rabbits were then randomly divided into 4 groups (N=8/group): MFx alone, MFx+FIS, MFx+BMAC and MFx+FIS+BMAC. FIS-treated rabbits were given FIS orally via drinking water at a dose of 20 mg/kg/day daily from immediately after surgery until euthanasia. Rabbits were sacrificed at 6 and 12 weeks post-op. The macroscopic appearance was evaluated using the International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) macroscopic assessment grading. ΜicroCT and histology: Microcomputed tomography (μCT) was performed to evaluate subchondral bone healing. Cartilage healing was assessed histologically on de-calcified tissue at 6 and 12 weeks post-op (H&E, Safranin O, and Alcian blue) and with immunohistochemistry for collagen II and p16. Regenerated cartilage was scored using the Modified O'Driscoll ICRS grading system (max 27 points). Biomechanical tests: The strength of the regenerated cartilage was analyzed by measuring the instantaneous elastic modulus of the regenerated cartilage in each group of samples collected at 12 weeks. (N=6/group). Results: Macroscopic assessment and μCT : At both 6 and 12 weeks postoperatively, MFx+BMAC and MFx+FIS+BMAC groups scored significantly higher than MFx alone group in the ICRS macroscopic evaluation. (p < 0.01, Fig. 2 A, D and Fig. 3 A, D). At both 6- and 12-week time points after surgery, μCT showed favorable healing of the bone defect in MFx+FIS, MFx+BMAC, and MFx+FIS+BMAC groups compared to MFx alone group. (Fig. 2 B and Fig. 3 B). Histology : At both 6- and 12- week time points, the Modified O'Driscoll score was significantly higher in the MFx+BMAC and MFx+FIS+BMAC groups than in the MFx alone group (p <0.01), and at 12 weeks, the MFx+FIS group had a significantly higher score than the MFx alone group. (p <0.05, Fig. 2E and Fig. 3E). In addition, immunohistochemistry showed stronger staining of type II collagen (brown) in the MFx+FIS, MFx+BMAC, and MFx+FIS+BMAC groups than in the MFx alone group at both time points, with a stronger reduction in staining of the cellular senescence marker p16 (brown) in FIS-treated group compared to MFx alone or MFx+BMAC group. (Fig. 2C and Fig. 3C). Biomechanical analysis: The instantaneous elastic modulus (cartilage's strength) was significantly increased in the MFx+FIS+BMAC group compared to MFx alone group. (p < 0.05, Fig. 4). Gene expression analyses : qPCR showed the expression level of SOD1 in synovium was significantly higher in the MFx+FIS group at 6 weeks (p < 0.01) and in the MFx+FIS+BMAC group at 12 weeks (p < 0.05) compared to the MFx alone group. Conclusions: Our results showed that BMAC treatment enhanced the healing of MFx-treated osteochondral defects, macroscopically, biomechanically, and histologically, compared to MFx alone. Furthermore, FIS treatment improved MFx-treated cartilage repair, and its combined use with BMAC led to significantly higher quality cartilage regeneration with stronger mechanical properties. Oxidative stress, which is one of the inducers of cell senescence, has been noted as the primary factor contributing to age-related changes in cartilage homeostasis, function, and response to injury. Given the increase in SOD1 expression commensurate with p16 reduction in the FIS-treated group (Figs 2-3), our results suggest that FIS may improve cartilage healing via reducing cellular senescence. These results support the clinical use of FIS combined with BMAC to enhance the effect of MFx in the repair of osteochondral defects and highlight cellular senescence as a novel therapeutic target for cartilage repair following injury. Figure 1: Acute osteochondral defect microfracture rabbit model Figure 2: Macroscopy, MicroCT, and Histological findings at 6 weeks postoperatively A: Macroscopic findings. B: Micro CT showed better subchondral bone healing in the MFx+FIS, MFx+BMAC, and MFx+FIS+BMAC group. C: In the MFx+BMAC and MFx+FIS+BMAC groups, the ICRS macroscopic score was significantly increased compared to the MFx alone group. (D) In the MFx+BMAC and MFx+FIS+BMAC groups, the Modified O'Driscoll score increased significantly compared to the MFx alone group (E), indicating primarily hyaline-like cartilage regeneration. In addition, strong staining of type II collagen was observed in the MFx+FIS+BMAC groups, and there was a strong decrease in p16 (cellular senescence marker) staining in the FIS-treated group. * p <.05, ** p <.01. Figure 3: Macroscopy, MicroCT, and Histological findings at 12 weeks postoperatively A: Macroscopic findings. B: Micro CT showed better subchondral bone healing in the MFx+FIS, MFx+BMAC, and MFx+FIS+BMAC group. C: In the MFx+BMAC and MFx+FIS+BMAC groups, the ICRS macroscopic score was significantly increased compared to the MFx alone group. (D) In the MFx+FIS, MFx+BMAC, and MFx+FIS+BMAC groups, the Modified O'Driscoll score increased significantly compared to the MFx alone group (E), indicating primarily hyaline-like cartilage regeneration. In addition, strong staining of type II collagen was observed in the MFx+FIS, MFx+BMAC, and MFx+FIS+BMAC groups, and there was a strong decrease in p16 (cellular senescence marker) staining in the FIS-treated group. * p <.05, * * p <.01. Figure 4: Biomechanical findings at 12 weeks postoperatively Instantaneous elastic modulus (cartilage's strength) measurements for each group are shown, with a significant increase in the MFx+FIS+BMAC group compared to MFx alone group. * * P <.05 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Many patients undergoing medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) reconstruction for patellofemoral instability have chondral or osteochondral injuries requiring treatment. Hypothesis: In patients undergoing MPFL reconstruction for patellofemoral instability, those with ligamentous laxity (LAX) would be less likely to have chondral or osteochondral defects requiring surgical intervention compared with those with no laxity (NLX). Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. Methods: Included were 171 patients with patellofemoral instability (32 men, 139 women; mean age, 22 years [range, 11-57 years]) who underwent MPFL reconstruction between 2005 and 2015. Patients with a Beighton-Horan score ≥5 were considered LAX (n = 96), while patients with scores <5 were considered NLX (n = 75). Preoperative magnetic resonance images were evaluated to determine the presence, size, and location of chondral or osteochondral injury as well as the grade according to the Outerbridge classification. Documented anatomic measurements included tibial tubercle–trochlear groove (TT-TG) distance, Caton-Deschamps Index (CDI) for patellar height, and the Dejour classification for trochlear dysplasia. Results: Of the 171 patients, 58 (34%) required a surgical intervention for a chondral or osteochondral defect: chondroplasty (29/58; 50%), particulated juvenile cartilage implantation (18/58; 31%), microfracture (16/58; 28%), osteochondral fracture fixation (2/58; 3.4%), and osteochondral allograft (2/58; 3.4%). While there was no statistical difference in the proportion of patellar chondral or osteochondral injuries between patients with NLX (58%) versus LAX (67%) (P =.271), there was a significantly higher rate of patellar grade 3 or 4 injuries in the NLX (74%) versus LAX (45%) group (P =.004). Similarly, there was no difference in femoral chondral or osteochondral injury rates between groups (P =.132); however, femoral grade 3 or 4 injuries were significantly higher in the NLX (67%) versus the LAX (13%) group (P =.050). After adjusting for age, sex, radiographic parameters (TT-TG distance and CDI), and trochlear morphology, patients with LAX were 75% less likely to have had a grade 3 or 4 patellar cartilage injury compared with patients with NLX (P =.006). Conclusion: For patients who sustained patellar or femoral chondral or osteochondral injuries, compared with their counterparts with NLX, patients with LAX were less likely to have severe (grade 3 or 4) injuries requiring surgical intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Evaluation of intra-articular osteochondral fractures in children with acute traumatic lateral patellar dislocation (LPD) is important for determining treatment options. Purpose: To (1) compare the diagnostic accuracy of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for evaluating intra-articular osteochondral fractures; (2) compare the interpretation of CT and MRI images between radiologists and pediatric orthopaedic surgeons (POS); and (3) investigate any clinical factors influencing the accuracy of CT and MRI evaluations. Study Design: Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 2. Methods: We reviewed 35 knees in 35 patients (mean age, 12.2 ± 1.2 years; 12 boys and 23 girls) who were treated arthroscopically for acute traumatic LPD; 71% of the patients had patellar fractures, 54% had femoral fractures, and 60% had free osteochondral fracture fragments. All presurgical MRI and CT images were reviewed by POS who were blinded to both the reports of the radiologists and surgical records. We compared the accuracy of CT and MRI in diagnosing intra-articular osteochondral fractures against the arthroscopic findings and compared the interpretation of the images by the POS (MRI-O, CT-O) with those of the radiologists (MRI-R, CT-R). Results: There was no significant difference in diagnostic accuracy between CT and MRI for overall intra-articular osteochondral fractures by the POS or the radiologists; however, the CT-O images had a higher diagnostic specificity (84.2% vs 69.6%; P <.001) and sensitivity (88.1% vs 70.1%; P <.001) versus the MRI-R images. Regarding free fracture fragments, the CT-R images had a higher diagnostic accuracy than the MRI-R images (73.5% vs 47.1%; P =.026). When backed by clinical data, the MRI-O images had greater diagnostic accuracy (78.7% vs 60.3%; P =.001) and sensitivity (88.1% vs 30.7%; P =.021) but lower specificity compared with the MRI-R images, and the CT-O images had similar diagnostic accuracy but greater sensitivity than the CT-R images (70.1% vs 52.2%; P <.001). The diagnostic accuracy of MRI-O images was lower for children under 12 years versus children 12 years and over (67.5% vs 83.3%; P =.040). Conclusion: Compared with MRI, CT scans had better diagnostic performance in the evaluation of intra-articular osteochondral fractures in pediatric patients with acute traumatic LPD. Clinical data enhanced the diagnostic sensitivity of MRI and CT but decreased the specificity of MRI. MRI evaluations remain challenging for both POS and radiologists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is controversy about whether treatment of chronic lateral ankle instability (CLAI) with osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLT) can be performed concurrently. Purpose: To investigate the midterm results of arthroscopic treatment of CLAI combined with OLT in different surgical settings. It was hypothesized that the outcomes of treating both injuries at the same time would not be inferior to those of staged surgery. Study Design: Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 1. Methods: Included were 103 patients with both CLAI and OLT who underwent arthroscopic microfracture surgery and an open, modified Broström-Gould procedure for ligament repair from January 2015 to December 2016. The patients were assigned randomly to a staged group (51 patients) and a single-stage group (52 patients). The staged group underwent arthroscopic debridement of the OLT and microfracture, then rehabilitation for 4 to 6 months before undergoing modified Broström-Gould ligament repair. The single-stage group underwent both procedures simultaneously. Clinical evaluations were performed on the day before surgery and at 12-month, 24-month, and final follow-up periods using the Karlsson-Peterson score, American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) score, and pain visual analog scale. The Karlsson-Peterson score at 24 months postoperatively was considered the primary outcome. The predefined noninferiority margin for the primary outcome was −5 points. Results: At the final follow-up, 50 patients in the single-stage group and 48 patients in the staged group completed the study. The median lesion size was 0.72 cm2 (interquartile range [IQR], 0.5-1.12 cm2) in the single-stage group and 0.84 cm2 (IQR, 0.7-1.05 cm2) in the staged group. At 12-month follow-up, the single-stage group had a significantly higher median Karlsson-Peterson score (79 [IQR, 70-85] vs 75 [IQR 65-80] for staged; P =.024) and median AOFAS score (85 [IQR, 76-89] vs 79.5 [IQR, 70-87] for staged; P =.045). At 24-month follow-up, the median difference in the Karlsson-Peterson score for single-stage versus staged surgery was 2 points (95% CI, −2 to 5 points), and the confidence interval was greater than the predefined value. Conclusion: At midterm follow-up, there was no clinical difference between single-stage versus staged surgery to treat CLAI with OLT. Single-stage surgery achieved better clinical outcomes than staged surgery at short-term follow-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite appropriate care, a subset of patients with ankle fractures has persistent pain. This condition may be associated with intra-articular pathology, which is present up to 65% of the time. Purpose: To quantify how much of the talus is visible through an open approach to a standard supination external rotation bimalleolar ankle fracture as a percentage of the entire weightbearing surface of the talus. Study Design: Descriptive laboratory study. Methods: Standard ankle approaches to lateral and medial malleolar fractures were performed in 4 cadaveric ankles from 2 cadavers. Osteotomies were made to simulate a supination external rotation bimalleolar ankle fracture based on the Lauge-Hansen classification. The visible segments of talar cartilage were removed. The tali were then exhumed, and the entire weightbearing superior portion of the talus was assessed and compared with the amount of cartilage removed by an open approach. The mean of the data points as well as the 95% confidence interval were calculated. Results: Four ankle specimens from 2 cadavers were used for these measurements. The mean surface area of the talus was 14.0 cm2 (95% CI, 13.3-14.7 cm2), while the mean area visible via an open approach was 2.1 cm2 (95% CI, 0.5-3.6 cm2). The mean proportion of the talus visualized via an open approach was 14.8% (95% CI, 3.6-26.1%). Conclusion: These findings indicate that the true area of weightbearing talar surface visible during an open exposure may be less than what many surgeons postulate. Clinical Relevance: Only a small fracture of the talus is visible via an open approach to the talus during fracture fixation. This could warrant arthroscopic evaluation of these injuries to evaluate and treat osteocondral lesions resulting from ankle fractures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Various surgical treatment options exist for repairing, replacing, or regenerating tissue to fill osteochondral defects. Biologic augmentation has been increasingly studied as an adjunct in the surgical treatment of osteochondral defects of the knee in animal and human models. Purpose/Hypothesis: The purpose of the study was to systematically review use of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and bone marrow concentrate (BMC) augmentation in the surgical treatment of osteochondral knee defects and to describe the outcomes. It was hypothesized that both PRP and BMC augmentation will result in improved outcomes in osteochondral knee surgery in both animal and human models. Study Design: Systematic review. Methods: PubMed, MEDLINE, and Embase were searched for studies relating to PRP or BMC and treatment of osteochondral defects of the knee, from database inception to February 1, 2020. Included were articles that (1) studied PRP or BMC augmentation; (2) used osteochondral autograft, allograft, or biologic scaffold; and (3) treated osteochondral defects in the knee. Data on use of PRP or BMC, outcomes assessed, and results were recorded for each publication. Results: Of the 541 articles identified initially, 17 were included in the final review. Five articles studied osteochondral grafts in animals, 5 studied biologic scaffolds in animals, and 7 studied scaffolds or allografts in humans; the combined sample size was 202 patients. Of 4 histologic scaffold studies, 3 PRP-augmented scaffold studies identified histologic improvements in regenerated cartilage in animal models, while 1 BMC study demonstrated similar improvement in histologic scores of BMC-augmented scaffolds compared with controls. Three studies associated greater collagen type 2 and glycosaminoglycan content with PRP treatment. Comparative studies found that both augments increase osteogenic proteins, including bone morphogenetic protein–2 and osteoprotegerin. Two of 3 studies on BMC-augmented osteochondral allografts reported no difference in radiographic features postoperatively. Long-term improvement in clinical and radiographic outcomes of PRP-augmented scaffolds was demonstrated in 1 human study. Conclusion: Animal studies suggest that biologics possess potential as adjuncts to surgical treatment of osteochondral knee defects; however, clinical data remain limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The optimal timing of surgical intervention for multiligament knee injuries remains controversial. Purpose: To review the clinical and functional outcomes after acute and delayed surgical intervention for multiligament knee injuries. Study Design: Systematic review; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: We performed a search of the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases from inception to September 2020. Eligible studies reported on knee dislocations, multiligament knee injuries, or bicruciate ligament injuries in adult patients (age, ≥18 years). In addition to comparing outcomes between acute and delayed surgical intervention groups, we conducted 3 subgroup analyses for outcomes within isolated knee injuries, knee injuries with concomitant polytrauma/fractures, and high-level (level 2) studies. Results: Included in the analysis were 31 studies, designated as evidence level 2 (n = 3), level 3 (n = 8), and level 4 (n = 20). These studies reported on 2594 multiligament knee injuries sustained by 2585 patients (mean age, 25.1-65.3 years; mean follow-up, 12-157.2 months). At the latest follow-up timepoint, the mean Lysholm (n = 375), International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) (n = 286), and Tegner (n = 129) scores for the acute surgical intervention group were 73.60, 67.61, and 5.06, respectively. For the delayed surgical intervention group, the mean Lysholm (n = 196), IKDC (n = 172), and Tegner (n = 74) scores were 85.23, 72.32, and 4.85, respectively. The mean Lysholm (n = 323), IKDC (n = 236), and Tegner (n = 143) scores for our isolated subgroup were 83.7, 74.8, and 5.0, respectively. By comparison, the mean Lysholm (n = 270), IKDC (n = 236), and Tegner (n = 206) scores for the polytrauma/fractures subgroup were 83.3, 64.5, and 5.0, respectively. Conclusion: The results of our systematic review did not elucidate whether acute or delayed surgical intervention produced superior clinical and functional outcomes. Although previous evidence has supported acute surgical intervention, future prospective randomized controlled trials and matched cohort studies must be completed to confirm these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To determine whether the relationship between hypermobility and meniscal and/or articular cartilage injury varies by stage of pubertal development. Patients with hypermobility will have a lower risk of meniscal and articular cartilage injury than patients with normal laxity. Methods: At 10 geographically diverse institutions in the United States, consecutive skeletally immature patients diagnosed with complete ACL tears between January 2016 and April 2020 were enrolled. Beighton score was collected at the preoperative physical exam; bone age was determined from a hand/wrist radiograph; and the presence of meniscal tears and articular cartilage injuries was collected from the surgical assessment. Tanner stage was documented at time of surgery. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to assess the effect of Tanner stage and Beighton score on the likelihood of cartilage injury and meniscal tear. Results: Seven hundred forty-seven skeletally immature patients with complete ACL tears were analyzed with an average age at surgery of 12.3 years; the cohort was 62% male. Eighty-five patients had documented cartilage injuries for an event rate of 11.4%. Bivariate analysis found that those with cartilage injuries had a slightly higher bone age (13.9 versus 13.1 years; p=0.001) and a higher Tanner stage (p=0.009). For each additional Tanner stage, the odds of cartilage injury increased by approximately 1.6 (p<0.001). No association was detected between hypermobility and the likelihood of a cartilage injury. Four hundred twenty-three patients had documented meniscal tears for an event rate of 56.6%. Bivariate analysis found that those with meniscal tears were slightly older (12.6 versus 12.0 years; p<0.001), had a slightly higher bone age (13.5 versus 12.8 years; p<0.001) and a higher Tanner stage (p=0.002). For each additional Tanner stage, the odds of a meniscal tear increased by approximately 1.3 times (p<0.001). No association was detected between hypermobility and the likelihood of a meniscal tear. Conclusions: There is a high rate of concomitant articular cartilage and meniscal injuries in skeletally immature patients who sustain ACL tears. The risk of concurrent injury is associated with increasing bone age and Tanner score. There was no association between these concurrent injuries and hypermobility. Figure 1. Distribution of Tanner stage by cartilage injury groups. Figure 2. Distribution of Tanner stage by meniscal tear groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) enables patellofemoral joint (PFJ) geometric measurements that may guide metrics of operative treatments, such as anteromedialization osteotomy, offloading stress on PFJs with chondral defects. However, utilization of MRI is limited due to expense required in manual image annotation. Preliminary work in small cohorts has suggested differences in PFJ measurements involving the anterior tibia and trochlea among symptomatic and control patients. Recently, deep learning (DL) has been used to perform accurate, automated segmentation of knee MRI. Herein, our aim was to develop a DL algorithm to segment the bony structures in knee MRIs and determine the relationship between PFJ geometries and cartilage lesions in a large, longitudinal cohort. Methods: Subjects : We obtained data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI), a multi-institutional study conducted between 2005 and 2006, consisting of 4796 participants aged 45 to 80 years (NCT#00080171, on ClinicalTrials.gov). Eligible participants had osteoarthritis (OA) or elevated risk of OA in at least one knee at baseline. Each participant was assessed yearly with questionnaires, radiographs, and MRI. MRI sequences : MRIs were obtained using 3T scanners (Siemens Trio, Germany) on both right and left knees. From the OAI database, we accessed 3D sagittal double echo steady-state volumes with the following parameters: resolution=0.365×0.456×0.7mm, field of view=14cm, repetition time/echo time=16.2/4.7ms, matrix=384×307×160, bandwidth=62.5kHz. Radiologist grading : A subset of knee MRIs from OAI were graded according to MRI Osteoarthritis Knee Score (MOAKS) as part of several previous studies and shared publicly. A centralized group performed the grading through direct supervision of two musculoskeletal radiologists with more than nine years of training in grading knee OA with semi-quantitative scoring systems. Clinical data and case-control status were not made available to the radiologists during grading. In total, 2653 unique participants received imaging at either or both of two visits (baseline and 4 years), resulting in gradings for 4413 knee MRIs from 3117 unique knees. Automated segmentation : We built a DL segmentation model to determine the locations of patella, femur, and tibia within the double echo steady-state MRIs. The model utilized a 3D V-Net architecture, and training was performed on 40 manually annotated MRIs. We then used the trained model to segment femur, tibia, and patella bone from the radiologist MOAKS-graded subset of the OAI. Geometric measurements : We measured the tibial tubercle-trochlear groove (TTTG) length, sagittal tibial tubercle-trochlear groove (sTTTG) length, trochlear sulcus angle, trochlear dysplasia, Caton-Deschamps index, and flexion angle using the bone segmentations of the MOAKS-graded cohort. The trochlea was chosen using the axial slice of the segmentation with the largest femur width. The tibial tubercle was chosen using the anterior-most point of the axial cut 13.8mm superior to the inferior-most axial cut of the segmentation. This axial cut of the tibia was chosen using the average axial location of the tibial tubercle in 15 randomly selected segmentations. Statistical analysis : Dice score determined accuracy of the segmentation model on the holdout set of manually segmented images. Kruskal-Wallis H-test compared differences in demographics, radiographic findings, and geometric measurements between subjects without and with PFJ OA. PFJ OA was defined as having a MOAKS score greater than 2 in one or more of the following articular surfaces of the PFJ: anterior medial femur, anterior lateral femur, medial patella, lateral patella. Controls with no PFJ OA were classified as MOAKS score less than or equal to 2 in all four PFJ articular surfaces. Two-tailed p-values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Statistical analyses were performed in Python (version 3.6.5; Python Software Foundation, Beaverton, Ore); important packages included numpy, pandas, and scipy. Results: Baseline demographics for all subjects were as follows: women=1868, men=1243, age (mean(SD))=62.7(8.9), BMI=28.7(4.8). Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) grades of the knees were KL0=1106, KL1=590, KL2=695, KL3=493, KL4=194. Dice scores of the model on the holdout test set were 97.2% (95% confidence interval (CI): 96.6-97.7%), 97.3% (95% CI: 96.6-97.9%), and 96.0% (95% CI: 95.2-96.7%) for femur, tibia, and patella, respectively. A total of 2051 knees did not have PFJ OA, while 1060 knees possessed PFJ OA (Table 1). Subjects with PFJ OA were older, had greater female predominance, greater BMI, greater KL scores, greater pain levels, and greater proportion of total knee replacement at 8 years. Knees without PFJ OA had a greater sTTTG (-8.2(5.7) mm) compared to subjects with PFJ OA (-9.8(5.8) mm) (p<0.001), indicating a more anteriorly-positioned tibial tubercle for those subjects without PFJ OA. There were no differences in TTTG (9.2(4.2) mm v. 9.4(4.9) mm, p=0.12) and sulcus angle (145.7(9.1) degrees v. 146.0(9.6) degrees, p=0.41) among knees without and with PFJ OA. Conclusions: We used DL to segment bony structures within knee MRIs and compare PFJ geometric measurements with presence of OA. Knees with PFJ OA were associated with a more posteriorly positioned tibial tubercle; however, we found no differences in TTTG and sulcus angle in knees with and without OA. This relationship of the tibial tubercle and trochlea in the sagittal plane is consistent with prior smaller case series, though the methodology of this study allows for evaluation of these measurements on a much broader scale in this large cohort. Understanding the geometric measurements of knees without chondral defects may serve as metrics for correctional chondral deformity operations. Table 1. Characteristics for the analytic sample stratified by patellofemoral joint osteoarthritis. PFJ: patellofemural joint, OA: osteoarthritis, SD: standard deviation, BMI: body mass index, KL: Kellgren-Lawrence, KOOS: Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Scene, WOMAC: Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index, TKR: total knee replacement, TTTG: tibial tubercle - trochlear groove, sTTTG: sagittal tibial tubercle - trochlear groove. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The etiology of isolated patellofemoral (PF) cartilage defects without patellar instability is currently incompletely understood. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the variation in knee sagittal alignment in patients with and without PF cartilage wear. Methods: This was a single-center, retrospective review of patients that underwent a cartilage restoration procedure for isolated PF cartilage wear from 2014-2020. Patients were matched in a 1:2:2 ratio for age, sex, and BMI to anterior knee pain diagnosis and meniscectomy procedure cohorts as controls. Exclusion criteria included knee flexion angle >10°, elevated Caton-Deschamps index (CDI>1.3), increased sulcus angle (>145°), increased patellar tilt (>5°), elevated coronal TT-TG (>15mm), varus/valgus malalignment (>5°), or ICRS patellofemoral cartilage defects of ≥3 in either control group. The sagittal TT-TG (sTT-TG) distance was measured on preoperative axial T2 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and was defined as the distance between a point at the nadir of the trochlear cartilage and the most anterior point of the tibial tubercle. Comparisons between the 3 groups were made using ANOVA testing with Bonferroni corrections. Reliability was assessed with the interclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Odds ratios were calculated based on a sTT-TG measurement threshold obtained from a receiver operative characteristic curve graph. Results: Two hundred and thirty-five patients (47 cartilage restoration, 94 anterior knee pain, 94 meniscectomy) were included. Mean age, BMI, and height were 33.8 +/- 8.7 and 26.7 +/- 5.7, 170.6 +/- 24.3 respectively, with 130 males (55%) and 105 females (45%). There were no significant differences between groups for age, BMI or sex(p>0.05). Mean sTT-TG was significantly more posterior in the cartilage restoration group compared to the meniscectomy group (-2.5 mm +/-5.9 vs 1.72 mm +/- 5.3, p<0.001). The anterior knee pain group sTT-TG was between the meniscectomy and cartilage restoration groups, but was not significantly different from either (p=0.067, p=0.13). Interrater reliability was excellent (ICC=0.927, p<0.001). Patients with a posterior translation of -2.15 or greater were 2.12 times more likely to undergo a cartilage restoration procedure (OR 2.12, 95% CI 1.1 to 4.1). Conclusions: Cartilage restoration procedure patients had a significantly more posterior tibial tubercle than partial meniscectomy controls. Anterior knee pain patient sagittal TT-TG was between both groups, but was not significantly different from either. Patients with sTT-TG of <-2.15 mm were 2.12 x more likely to have a cartilage restoration procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Surgical management of articular cartilage lesions often includes a staging or index chondroplasty which allows for debridement of unstable chondral flaps, accurate measurement of the size and location of lesions, and evaluation of co-existing pathology that might require subsequent treatment. Some patients obtain meaningful symptomatic improvement from this staging procedure allowing a delay or avoidance of definitive treatment, while others have continued discomfort and elect to move forward with transplantation. The purpose of this study was to (1) identify risk factors associated with early election to proceed with subsequent cartilage transplantation after a staging chondroplasty within 6 months and (2) develop a risk calculator with pre-operative prognostic value for conversion. Methods: A retrospective review of patients prospectively enrolled at the time of staging chondroplasty was performed, with early election defined as patient decision to proceed to cartilage transplantation within six months of chondroplasty. Cox proportional hazards analysis was used to determine univariate predictors of conversion, and a predictive calculator was formulated using stepwise regression employing the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC). Postoperative patient-reported outcomes were compared between failure and non-failure cohorts in the timepoints leading up to the mean decision time to validate that failure correlated with worse PROMs. Results: Sixty-five patients (67 knees) were included for analysis, with an overall election rate of 29.9% within six months after chondroplasty. Condylar involvement, number of lesions, lesion topology, subchondral involvement, AMADEUS grade, history of prior surgery, indication for realignment osteotomy, and lower preoperative baseline functional assessment by IKDC, KOOS Pain, KOOS ADL, KOOS Jr, VR12 Mental, and VR12 Physical were significantly associated with greater univariate risk of early election to transplant (p≤0.04). Based on multivariate results, the final AIC-driven CERT score employed preoperative KOOS Pain Score, VR12 Physical Score, condylar involvement, and AMADEUS score to generate 0–7-point risk stratification system with a 3% early election to proceed to transplant risk in the 0–2-point score group, 33% risk in the 3–4-point group, and 79% risk in the 5+ point group (p < 0.01) and an overall AUC of 0.906 (p<0.01). By 6 weeks, early-electing patients demonstrated significantly worse pain (61.71±17.97 vs 77.03±14.79, p=.003), daily living (84.75±14.26 vs 67.55±20.69, p=.002), sports (57.36±22.94 vs 32.14±28.67, p=.002), and quality of life scores (49.31±21.27 vs 22.33±20.33, p=<.001). Conclusions: The risk of a given patient electing to proceed with a cartilage restoration procedure within 6 months after failing to derive therapeutic benefit from staging chondroplasty is closely and additively associated with pre-operative KOOS Pain Score, VR12 Physical Score, anatomic area involved, and lesion AMADEUS score. Clinical utilization of the CERT score can help guide patient conversations regarding expected benefit from chondroplasty and determination whether a single or two stage definitive procedure can be considered. Figure 1. Early Cartilage Transplant Score Calculation Figure 2. ROC Curve for the study data. AUC: Area under the Curve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Osteochondral lesion of the talus (OLT) may be caused by osteochondritis dissecans, osteochondral fractures, avascular necrosis, or focal arthritic changes. For certain focal cartilage defects, bone marrow stimulation (BMS) has been a widely used technique to restore a fibrocartilage substitute overlying the defect. There are various postoperative weightbearing protocols for this procedure, with no single gold standard method. Purpose: To retrospectively review the outcomes of patients undergoing ankle arthroscopy with concomitant BMS to determine outcomes based on postoperative weightbearing status. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of patients who underwent ankle arthroscopy with BMS for OLTs between 2015 and 2018. Patients were placed into 2 cohorts based on postoperative immobilization status: the nonweightbearing (NWB) group and the weightbearing-as-tolerated (WBAT) group. Patient characteristics obtained included age, sex, comorbidities, and etiology of talar pathology. Outcomes included the pain visual analog scale (VAS), range of motion (ROM), complications, time to first weightbearing, and the method and length of immobilization. Patients who were lost to follow-up before 30 days were excluded. The chi-square test was used to compare categorical variables between cohorts, and the t test was used for continuous variables. Results: A total of 69 patients met the inclusion criteria for this study, 18 in the WBAT group and 51 in the NWB group. The mean lesion size was 9.48 × 9.21 mm (range, 3-15 mm × 2-20 mm) for the NWB group and 9.36 × 9.72 mm (range, 5-14 mm × 6-20 mm) for the WBAT group (P >.05). The VAS scores improved from 4.40 to 0.67 for the WBAT group and from 6.33 to 2.55 for the NWB group, with the difference in final values reaching statistical significance (P =.0002). Postoperative ROM was not significantly different between the groups. There were 4 repeat operations within the NWB cohort. Conclusion: The surgical management of OLTs can be challenging, and the postoperative weightbearing protocol can be an extra obstacle for the patient to navigate. We found no difference in pain, ROM, or complications when allowing immediate, full WBAT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) reconstruction for patellar instability is a commonly performed procedure with a reported high rate of return to preinjury activity. However, no previous study has assessed the functional outcomes of military servicemembers undergoing MPFL reconstruction. Hypothesis: Primary MPFL reconstruction confers patellar stability, but with limited return to preinjury function and ability to maintain unrestricted military active duty status. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: Using the Management Analysis and Reporting Tool database, we conducted a retrospective review of active duty servicemembers throughout the US Department of Defense Health System who underwent primary MPFL reconstruction between 2012 and 2015. Demographic variables were recorded as well as ability to return to impact activities—defined as running, jumping, rucking with a load >40 pounds (18 kg), and returning to airborne operations—and to remain on active duty status. The rates of recurrent instability and the need for subsequent surgeries were identified and assessed for statistical significance using uni- and multivariate analyses. Patients were evaluated for a minimum of 2 years postoperatively. Results: Of the 213 patients who underwent primary MPFL reconstruction, including 34 with concomitant tibial tubercle osteotomy, 19 (8.9%) patients developed recurrent instability. The presence of bilateral patellar instability was associated with higher recurrence rate. Patients with bilateral instability comprised 47.3% of those with recurrence but only 24.9% of patients without recurrence (P =.019). Impact activity restrictions were present in 57.6% of patients (n = 121), with 86 patients (52.1%) undergoing medical separation from the military. Patients who were prescribed activity restriction before surgery were significantly more likely to have postoperative activity restrictions (64.5%; P =.019), and junior enlisted servicemembers were more likely to be medically separated from service postoperatively than higher ranking senior enlisted members or officers. Conclusion: Only 42.4% of US military servicemembers undergoing primary MPFL reconstruction were able to return to unrestricted impact activity after surgery. Bilateral instability negatively affected return to impact activities. Military servicemembers, particularly junior enlisted members, should be counseled on this poor prognosis for a full return to unrestricted activity postoperatively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The incidence of concomitant injuries, including meniscal and cartilage injuries, has not been adequately reported in previous studies on multiligament knee injury (MLKI) because their primary focal points have been the degree of ligament injury, treatment strategy, involvement of other soft tissues, and neurovascular injury. Purpose: To analyze the incidence of associated lesions in MLKIs, including medial and lateral meniscal injuries, cartilage lesions, and complications. Study Design: Systemic review; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: The PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, and Scopus databases were searched between inception and April 30, 2020. Studies were included if they reported the incidence rates of medial and/or lateral meniscal tears and cartilage injuries in cases of MLKIs. For the meta-analysis, data were extracted on clinical outcomes measured according to the number of medial and/or lateral meniscal tears, cartilage injuries, and complications. Results: A total of 45 studies were included in the MLKI analysis (3391 patients). The pooled rate of medial meniscal tears was 30.4% (95% CI, 24.1%-37.1%; P <.0001; I 2 = 85.8%). The pooled rate of lateral meniscal tears was 27.5% (95% CI, 20.3%-35.3%; P <.0001; I 2 = 89.6%). The pooled rate of cartilage injuries was 27.5% (95% CI, 22.1%-33.3%; P <.0001; I 2 = 86.8%). The pooled rates of peroneal nerve injuries, vascular injuries, and arthrofibrosis were 19.2% (95% CI, 14.2%-24.7%; P <.001; I 2 = 81.3%), 18.4% (95% CI, 13.2%-24.3%; P <.0001; I 2 = 81.0%), and 11.2% (95% CI, 8.1%-14.7%; P =.0018; I 2 = 54.0%), respectively. Conclusion: The pooled rates of meniscal tears and cartilage injuries concomitant with MLKIs were high, ranging from 27% to 30%, and the pooled rates of peroneal nerve injury, vascular injury, and arthrofibrosis were considerable, ranging from 11% to 19%. The influence of these associated lesions on clinical results should be evaluated in future clinical studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This 2020 NBA Orthobiologics Consensus Statement provides a concise summary of available literature and practical clinical guidelines for team physicians and players. We recognize that orthobiologic injections are a generally safe treatment modality with a significant potential to reduce pain and expedite early return to play in specific musculoskeletal injuries. The use of orthobiologics in sports medicine to safely reduce time loss and reinjury is of considerable interest, especially as it relates to the potential effect on a professional athlete. While these novel substances have potential to enhance healing and regeneration of injured tissues, there is a lack of robust data to support their regular use at this time. There are no absolutes when considering the implementation of orthobiologics, and unbiased clinical judgment with an emphasis on player safety should always prevail. Current best evidence supports the following: Key Points There is support for the use of leukocyte-poor platelet-rich plasma in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis. There is support for consideration of using leukocyte-rich platelet-rich plasma for patellar tendinopathy. The efficacy of using mesenchymal stromal cell injections in the management of joint and soft tissue injuries remains unproven at this time. There are very few data to suggest that current cell therapy treatments lead to any true functional tissue regeneration. Meticulous and sterile preparation guidelines must be followed to minimize the risk for infection and adverse events if these treatments are pursued. Given the high variability in orthobiologic formulations, team physicians must stay up-to-date with the most recent peer-reviewed literature and orthobiologic preparation protocols for specific injuries. Evidence-based treatment algorithms are necessary to identify the optimal orthobiologic formulations for specific tissues and injuries in athletes. Changes in the regulatory environment and improved standardization are required given the exponential increase in utilization as novel techniques and substances are introduced into clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: ACL injuries in adults are frequently accompanied by meniscal and articular cartilage damage. However, little is known regarding the correlation of Tanner stage and hypermobility in ACL-deficient skeletally immature patients and the risk of these associated injuries. Hypothesis/Purpose: The relationship between hypermobility and meniscal and/or articular cartilage injury varies by stage of pubertal development. Patients with hypermobility will have a lower risk of meniscal and articular cartilage injury than patients with normal laxity. Methods: At 10 geographically diverse institutions in the United States, consecutive skeletally immature patients diagnosed with complete ACL tears between January 2016 and April 2020 were enrolled. Beighton score was collected at the preoperative physical exam; bone age was determined from a hand/wrist radiograph; and the presence of meniscal tears and articular cartilage injuries was collected from the surgical assessment. Tanner stage was documented at time of surgery. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to assess the effect of Tanner stage and Beighton score on the likelihood of cartilage injury and meniscal tear. Results: Seven hundred forty-seven skeletally immature patients with complete ACL tears were analyzed with an average age at surgery of 12.3 years; the cohort was 62% male. Eighty-five patients had documented cartilage injuries for an event rate of 11.4%. Bivariate analysis found that those with cartilage injuries had a slightly higher bone age (13.9 versus 13.1 years; p=0.001) and a higher Tanner stage (p=0.009). For each additional Tanner stage, the odds of cartilage injury increased by approximately 1.6 (p<0.001). No association was detected between hypermobility and the likelihood of a cartilage injury. Four hundred twenty-three patients had documented meniscal tears for an event rate of 56.6%. Bivariate analysis found that those with meniscal tears were slightly older (12.6 versus 12.0 years; p<0.001), had a slightly higher bone age (13.5 versus 12.8 years; p<0.001) and a higher Tanner stage (p=0.002). For each additional Tanner stage, the odds of a meniscal tear increased by approximately 1.3 times (p<0.001). No association was detected between hypermobility and the likelihood of a meniscal tear. Conclusion: There is a high rate of concomitant articular cartilage and meniscal injuries in skeletally immature patients who sustain ACL tears. The risk of concurrent injury is associated with increasing bone age and Tanner score. There was no association between these concurrent injuries and hypermobility. Figure 1. Distribution of Tanner stage by cartilage injury groups. Figure 2. Distribution of Tanner stage by meniscal tear groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To report initial outcomes for unicompartmental tibiofemoral bipolar osteochondral allograft transplantation (OCAT) with meniscus allograft transplantation (MAT) using fresh high-cell- viability tissues for treatment of knee articular cartilage defects with meniscus deficiency. The study was designed to test the hypothesis that primary OCAT and MAT using high-viability tissues will be associated with successful short-term (2 to 6 years) outcomes based on statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements in pain and function in the majority of patients. Methods: With IRB approval and documented informed consent, patients who underwent primary OCAT and MAT for large articular cartilage defects with meniscus deficiency involving at least one femoral condyle, tibial plateau, and meniscus, all of which were opposing (bipolar). Surgeries were defined as Uni when patients underwent OCAT and MAT involving one femoral condyle, tibial plateau, and meniscus in the same compartment or Uni-Plus when patients underwent Uni OCAT and MAT with at least one other OCA transplant to treat a large (>2.5cm²) grade III or IV focal articular cartilage defect of the patella, trochlea, femoral condyle, or tibial plateau. Patients who had at least 2-year follow up data regarding complications, failures, adherence, and patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) were analyzed. Patients who required OCA and/or MAT revision or artificial arthroplasty were defined as treatment failures. Patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) including VAS pain, IKDC, SANE, PROMIS Global Health and Physical Function, were collected at 3 and 6 months and then yearly after transplantation. Outcomes were compared based on patient sex, age, and BMI, tobacco use, previous and concurrent procedures, differences in number of surfaces transplanted (Uni vs UniPlus), and adherence. Significance was set at P < 0.05. Differences in PROMs were also assessed for minimum clinically important differences. Results: Seventy-six patients (n=52 males; 68%) met inclusion criteria (mean followup = 52 months; median = 56 months; range, 24-70 months). Mean age was 41.1 years (range, 15-69 years) and mean body mass index (BMI) was 28.9 kg/m² (range, 17-46). Forty-eight patients underwent OCAT(s) in addition to Uni (Uni-Plus). Eight patients (10.5%) underwent concurrent ACL reconstruction, and 28 patients (36.8%) underwent ipsilateral lower extremity osteotomy in order to address co-morbidities. Twenty-three patients (30.3%) were documented to be nonadherent during the first year after transplantation. Initial (≥2-year) success rate was 77.6% with 8 patients (10.5%) undergoing OCA and/or MAT revision and 9 patients (11.8%) converted to arthroplasty. Variables associated with increased risk for treatment failure (revision or arthroplasty) included ipsilateral osteotomy (p = .046; OR = 3.3), ipsilateral concurrent procedure (p = .0057; OR = 5.5), and non-adherence (p = .0009; OR = 7.2). None of the patients undergoing OCA and/or MAT revision surgery in the present study required arthroplasty at the time of data analysis such that overall success rate for primary and revision unicompartmental bipolar OCA plus MAT was 88.2%. There were statistically significant (p < .0001) and clinically important improvements from preoperative levels for all patient reported outcomes at each annual follow-up time point. Conclusions: Unicompartmental tibiofemoral bipolar osteochondral and meniscus allograft transplantation can result in successful short-term (2 to 6 years) outcomes and satisfaction in the majority (78%) of patients. Primary MOPS-preserved OCAT and MAT for treatment of femoral condyle and tibial plateau articular cartilage defects with concurrent meniscus deficiency was associated with statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements in patient-reported measures of pain and function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To assess the effects of an integrated care team including a health behavior psychologist on postoperative adherence and associated outcomes for patients undergoing osteochondral and/or meniscus allograft transplantation in the knee. Methods: With IRB approval and documented informed consent, patients were prospectively enrolled into a registry dedicated to following outcomes after OCA and meniscus allograft transplantation surgery between January of 2016 and April of 2021. Patients undergoing primary osteochondral and/or meniscus allograft transplantation to address symptomatic full-thickness cartilage loss and/or meniscus deficiency were included. Patient adherence rates and outcomes were compared based on two cohorts: patients that did not see a behavioral health psychologist preoperatively, and patients that met preoperatively identify potential barriers to adherence, set expectations for postoperative protocols, and identify a plan to moderate risk factors to non-adherence. Patients in both cohorts met preoperatively with the rest of the integrated care team specializing in joint preservation. Data were collected preoperatively, and at all follow-up visits at 3 months, 6 months, and yearly post-operatively. Visual analog scale (VAS) pain scores, International Knee Documentation Committee scores, PROMIS Global Health, and PROMIS Pain interference scores were collected. Treatment failure was defined as any reoperation to revise any of the osteochondral and/or meniscus allografts (revision) or for conversion to arthroplasty in the affected knee. Functional survival (success) was defined as patient- reported pain and function scores improved from pre-operative levels without need for revision or arthroplasty. Patients were categorized as nonadherent when documented evidence of a break from the physical therapy protocol was recounted to a member of the healthcare team by the patient or their physical therapy provider. Data were included for analyses when applicable registry data were available for at least one year following surgery. Chi-square or Fisher's exact tests were used to analyze differences in proportions, while unpaired t-Tests, one-way analysis of variance tests, or rank sum tests were used to assess significant differences in variables with continuous data. Significance was set a priori at p < 0.05. Results: For patients in the study (n=213), 23.4% were documented to be nonadherent. Of those who were nonadherent, 4 (8.0%) were in the Health Psych cohort versus 46 (92.0%) who were not. Patients in the No Health Psych cohort were significantly more likely to be nonadherent to postoperative rehabilitation protocols (p = .023, OR = 3.4). Tobacco use (p<.001, OR = 7.9), higher preoperative PROMIS Pain Interference score (p<.001), lower preoperative PROMIS Mental Health score (p<.001), older age (p<.001) and higher BMI (p<.001) were also significantly associated with nonadherence. 81.6% of adherent patients had successful outcomes (mean final follow-up 46.7 months, range 12-75), while 40% of nonadherent patients required revision or total knee arthroplasty during the study period, such that nonadherent patients were 3x more likely (p = .004) to experience treatment failure. In this cohort of patients, male sex (p<.001, OR = 3.4) and bipolar OCA transplantation surgeries (p<.001, OR = 5.0) were also significantly associated with increased risk for treatment failure. Conclusions: Preoperative education and postoperative support for patients provided by an integrated care team including a health psychologist can significantly improve adherence and outcomes following osteochondral and meniscal allograft transplantation in the knee. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Expansion of chondral defect size and clinical outcomes in patients with cartilage lesions are thought to be modulated by several risk factors. Previous studies suggest that time delay until implantation may be a risk factor for an increase in the number and size of chondral lesions at the time of implantation. Reports on the effect of time delay on clinical outcomes, however, remain limited. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of time delay from cartilage biopsy to implantation on patient satisfaction, return to sport (RTS), and clinical outcomes following autologous chondrocyte implantation. Methods: A retrospective review was performed among patient who underwent autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) and matrix-associated autologous chondrocyte implantation (MACI) at a single institution between the years 2012 to 2020 with minimum 2-year clinical follow-up. Clinical outcomes were measured using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain and satisfaction and the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS; subscores: symptoms, pain, sport, and quality of life (QOL)). Time delay was calculated as the elapsed time between cartilage biopsy and implantation. Cartilage lesions were categorized based on the Outerbridge classification of chondral lesions. The number of high-grade lesions (Outerbridge grade 3 or 4) and size of lesions were analyzed at time of biopsy and implantation. T-tests or non-parametric tests and Chi-squared tests were used to analyze continuous variables and categorical variables, respectively. A one-way ANOVA was used to compare outcomes based on RTS status, using a post-hoc Tukey's HSD test for multiple comparisons. Bivariate linear regression was used to determine the impact of the time interval from biopsy to implantation on the change in size of the largest high-grade lesion and RTS. Results: A total of 36 patients, mainly female (55.6%) aged 29.25 (± 9.49) with a mean follow-up of 6.51 ± 2.5 years were included in our analysis. Thirteen patients (36.1%) did not RTS. Of the 23 patients (63.9%) who returned to sport, 11 (30.6%) returned at their preoperative level or higher, and 12 (33.3%) returned at a lower level. VAS pain scores were significantly higher in patients who did not RTS vs those who did (42.85 vs. 9.35, p <0.001). All KOOS subscores (Symptom: 56.54 vs. 81.96, Pain: 72.22 vs. 91.74, Sports: 40.38 vs. 79.3, QOL: 35.58 vs. 70.38, p <0.001) were significantly lower in patients who did not RTS compared to those who returned. Increase in time delay from biopsy to implantation was associated with an increase in VAS pain score (OR [95% CI]; 1.42 [0.16 to 2.69], p=0.02) and inversely related to KOOS pain scores (OR [95% CI]; -1.01 [-1.83 to -0.01], p= 0.01. Furthermore, when comparing time from biopsy to implantation and expansion of the largest highgrade lesion, it was found that for every month increase in time, lesion surface area increased by 0.588 cm²; however, this correlation did not reach significance (p=0.09). The number of high-grade lesions at time of implantation were significantly higher in those that returned to sport at a lower level than those who did not return (1.67 vs. 1.23, p=0.02). The average surface area of the defect at biopsy and implantation were 3.13 cm² and 4.38 cm² respectively. The number of patients who had an increase in the number of high-grade lesions from biopsy to implantation was significantly higher in those who returned to sport at a lower level compared to those who did not return (4 vs. 1, p=0.05). Logistic regression demonstrated no significant relationship between time interval and rate of return to sport (p=3.59). No other associations were observed between time from biopsy to implantation and clinical outcomes. Conclusions: An increase in time delay from biopsy to graft implantation is associated with worse pain after surgery. Both the number of high-grade lesions at the time of implantation and an increase in time delay were not associated with lower rates of return to sport. Further studies are needed to evaluate the effects of time delay until implantation and its potential role as a risk factor for worse clinical outcomes in patients undergoing autologous chondrocyte implantation procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Intra-articular injections are a common non-operative treatment for pain in knee osteoarthritis. Knee injections may also benefit patients that suffer from pain caused by osteochondral lesions which exhibit similar progressions of articular cartilage degeneration. Although some studies show clinical improvement with the use of injections, inconsistencies across study results limit our knowledge of the true effect on clinical outcomes in patients with osteochondral lesions. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of pre-operative knee injections on satisfaction, pain, return to sport (RTS), and clinical outcomes following osteochondral allograft (OCA) transplantation of the knee. Methods: This is a retrospective study of patients who underwent OCA transplantation at a single institution with at least 1 year of clinical follow-up. Patients who received knee injections including platelet rich plasma (PRP), corticosteroid (CS), and hyaluronic acid (HA) injections were identified. Patient satisfaction between patients that received injections before surgery and those who did not were assessed using a 0-100 numeric scale. Similarly, clinical outcomes were compared using a visual analog scale (VAS) for pain and the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS subscores: symptoms, pain, sports, and quality of life (QOL)). Patients were asked to report whether they returned to sport at the same level, at a lower level, or if they did not return to sport following surgery. Need for reoperation and post-operative complications including graft failure was also recorded. Patients were divided into two cohorts (those who received injections and those who did not) and outcomes were compared between the two groups using T-tests and Chi-square analyses. ANCOVA and logistic regression models were used to control for confounders. Subsequent sub-analyses were performed to identify differences between patients who received CS and HA injections specifically. Results: A total of 96 patients were included in this analysis, 67 (69.7%) of which received no injection during their pre-operative course and 29 (30.2%) patients who received an injection prior to their OCA transplantation (15 patients received HA and 15 received CS injections). Patients received on average 2.6 ± 2.2 injections with the last injection on average 11.5± 14.5 months prior to the OCA transplantation. Those patients in the injection group were on average older than those in the no- injection group (40.8 ±10.1 years vs. 32.4±11.3 years, p<0.001). However, there was no difference in the number of Outerbridge high grade lesions, BMI, or gender between the two cohorts. Clinical outcomes were similar between the cohorts with patient satisfaction score of 77.6 ± 27.2 in the no injection cohort compared to 69.3 ±33.3 in the injection cohort (p=0.203) with a similar percentage of patients also reporting that they would undergo the procedure again. KOOS subscores were similar between the two cohorts after controlling for the age difference. Similar analyses were performed based on the type of injection received and also demonstrated no difference in outcomes between the two cohorts. With respect to return to sport, 59.1% of patients in the no injection group returned to sport compared to 70.4% in the injection group, p=0.308. The need for reoperation was 25.0% (24 patients) with 10 patients undergoing lysis of adhesions/manipulation under anesthesia with no difference in need for reoperation between the cohorts. Graft failure was noted in 3 patients with no difference between the cohorts. Lastly, when subanalysis was performed on patients who received CS injections and those who received HA injections, satisfaction scores for the patients who received HA injections were statistically higher even after controlling for age (79.6 ± 57.4, p=0.037). No other differences were seen when comparing patients who received HA or CS injections to those who did not receive either injection during their pre-operative period. Conclusions: There were no differences in clinical outcomes, satisfaction, return to sport, or reoperations in patients that received pre-operative knee injections compared to those that did not, irrespective of the type of injection received, prior to osteochondral allograft transplantation in the knee. The frequency of reoperations were similar between both study groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Segond fractures (avulsion fractures of the proximal lateral tibia) are considered to be pathognomonic for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears in adult patients. Purpose: To describe the largest case series of pediatric Segond fractures and associated intra-articular injuries of the knee to determine if these fractures are pathognomonic for ACL tears in young patients. Methods: IRB-approved retrospective study of patients under 20 years who presented with Segond fracture to a tertiary children’s hospital between 2009-2019. Demographics, clinical data, imaging features, associated injuries, and treatment information were collected. Results: 55 patients (46 males, 9 females) with mean age 15.2 years (11.8-19.1) with Segond fractures of the proximal tibia on radiology imaging were identified (Fig.1.2). Diagnosis of associated injuries was established based on clinical examination, radiology report and findings during arthroscopy. Average Segond fracture size was 2.7 x 9.5mm as measured on standard knee radiographs. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was obtained in 49/55(89%) patients. Associated injuries included anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears (39 patients, 70.9%), tibial eminence fractures (9, 16.4%), and all other injuries (7, 12.7%) (Table 1.1). Among Segond fractures found with ACL tears, 12 (30.8%) were contact injuries, 30 (76.9%) were sports injuries. In associated tibial spine fractures, 7 (78%) injuries were contact in nature and were sports related. When age was compared between the patient group with ACL tears (mean 15.7 years) to the ones with tibial spine fractures ( mean 13.9 years), there was a statistically significant difference(p=0.007). 12/55 (21.8%) had associated articular cartilaginous injuries, 3 of which required surgical intervention. 37/55 (67.3%) patients had meniscal injury. 3 (5.5%) patients suffered multi-ligament injuries. Overall, 87.2% of the patients required surgical management for associated intra-articular injuries of the knee. Conclusion: The Segond (tibial avulsion) fracture is associated with intra-articular injuries the pediatric population, most commonly ACL tears and meniscus tears. However, the largest case series in the pediatric population suggests that they are not pathognomonic for ACL tears as a notable proportion of patients, especially the ones who are younger in age, have tibial eminence fractures or no ACL tears. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Preservation of articular cartilage in the setting of acute or chronic injury in the knee is paramount for long-term joint health. Achieving osseous union, minimizing implant related injury, and eliminating the need for reoperation for osteochondral fracture lesions (OCL) and osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) remain a challenge for the orthopedic surgeon. To evaluate osseous and chondral integration following a suture and non-metallic anchor (suture-bridge) construct utilizing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A secondary purpose was to assess the outcomes and short-term complications of suture bridge fixation of OCL and OCD in the knee. Methods: Consecutive patients (n=39, 41 knees) treated within a single academic sports medicine institution who underwent suture-bridge fixation of an OCL or OCD of the knee from initiation of the technique in 10/2019 through 03/2021 were reviewed with IRB approval. The suture-bridge technique employed 1.5 or2.9mm bioabsorbable knotless anchors (avg n= 3.93; 3-6) placed on the outside margins of the lesion with multiple strands (2-8) of hand-tensioned absorbable (87.5%; #0 or #1Vicryl) or non-absorbable (2-0 braided polyester) bridging suture. A minimum of six months follow up to assess bony union was required for inclusion, resulting in 40 knees in 38 patients available for study. Demographics, pre-operative MRI lesion characteristics, including lesion type (OCL vs OCD), presence of bone in within the fragment, size, and location, were documented. Healing was assessed by radiographs and MRI, with MRI obtained on all OCDs and any chondral-only OCL lesions. MRI was available on 33/40 (82.5%) knees within one year of surgery and was rated for lesion healing: Full Union = 100% cancellous or cancellous-chondral lesion continuity, Stable Union = >50% continuity with some fibrous tissue present, Un-united = < 50% continuity and extensive fibrous signal or fluid below the lesion. Complications, and rates and timing of return to sport (RTS) were evaluated. For assessment of early pain and functional improvement in the setting of isolated osteochondral treatment (without confounding concurrent patellar instability, or other treatment in conjunction with OCL), KOOS patient reported outcomes were analyzed in the OCD cohort at 6 and 12 months. Results: 33 (82.5%) of all lesions demonstrated Full Union and no lesions failed treatment. MRI assessment of healing (5.8 months; 3-12 months) demonstrated 9 (64.3%) OCDs with Full union, 5 (35.7%) OCDs with Stable union, and none un-united (Figure 1); while OCLs demonstrated 17 (89.5%) with Full union, 2 (10.5%) with Stable union, and none un-united. (Figure 2) All 7 bony OCL without an MRI demonstrated radiographic union. 30 (75%) lesions returned to sports at an average of 6.5 months (3.8-10.2). KOOS Daily Living, Pain, Quality of Life, and Symptom scores all demonstrated significant improvement from baseline at 6months and 1 year. (Table 2). There were 2 (5%) complications consisting of re-operation for marginal chondroplasty on otherwise stable lesions, and no re-operations for failure or revision of the suture-bridge construct. Conclusions: In this series of OCL and OCD of the knee, suture-bridge fixation demonstrates excellent rates of MRI and radiographic union and good early outcomes with minimal short-term complications. This technique may be utilized for lesion salvage as preferred over loose body removal and marrow-stimulation and may have significant benefits in comparison to metallic and non-metallic screw/tack constructs in the treatment of these challenging lesions. Longer term follow-up and investigation is warranted. UPLOAD-https://planion-client-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AOSSM/blobs/96288f30-99be-431a-9937-0218d3245043/1/Suture_Bridge_AbstractAOSSMFinalfigures.docx [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to evaluate the rate of graft failure, return to sport (RTS), and clinical outcomes in patients undergoing osteochondral allograft (OCA) transplantation in the patellofemoral (PF) joint with concomitant tibial tuberosity osteotomy (TTO) compared to those undergoing an isolated PF OCA transplantation. Methods: This is a retrospective review of patients who underwent PF OCA transplantation with or without TTO at a single institution. Patients with a primary patellar or trochlear lesion were included. Those undergoing revision OCA, medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction (MPLFR), or who had a prior TTO were excluded. Graft failure was defined as cartilage procedure revision, chondroplasty, or conversion to joint replacement. Knee pain and functional outcomes were assessed with Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score Joint Restoration (KOOS JR), and Tegner Activity Scale. Additionally, patients were asked about preoperative and postoperative sports activity to determine rate of RTS. Results: A total of 40 patients met inclusion criteria for the study; 35 were available for follow-up at an average of 31.6 ± 7.8 months. The cohort had 20 female (64%) and 15 male (36%) patients; the average age was 34 ± 8 years. Graft failure rates were 7.7% and 22.7% in the PF OCA + TTO and isolated PF OCA groups, respectively (p= 0.254). There were no significant differences in RTS between groups (p=0.668). Among patients who returned to sport at a lower level, those in the OCA + TTO group unanimously cited pain as the primary reason (100%), while most in the isolated OCA group cited fear of re-injury instead (66.7%). Patients who underwent concomitant OCA + TTO experienced reported lower KOOS scores (p=0.009). However, after adjusting for covariates, there was no significant association between TTO (p=0.86) and KOOS. Conclusions: In this study population, patients undergoing OCA with concomitant TTO were found to have comparable return to sport rates compared to patients who underwent an isolated OCA. Both cohorts showed improvements in pain levels and functional outcomes from baseline. However, patients undergoing combined OCA and TTO exhibited higher pain levels with activity and cited pain as the primary reason for return at a lower level of performance. These findings highlight the need for additional well-powered studies to further investigate clinical and functional outcomes following OCA and concomitant TTO to offload the PF compartment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cartilage lesions are problematic because hyaline articular cartilage has limited ability to regenerate in response to damage. The size of the lesions is a determining factor in every algorithm of decision-making in terms of treatment. The decision if a cartilage lesion demands surgical treatment is depending on a variety of parameters and should always be reached mutually between physician and patient after thorough education about the risks and benefits of operative and conservative treatment options. Lesion characterization is often accomplished by the interpretation of advanced imaging studies (e.g., radiographs and magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]) and direct arthroscopic examination, which remains the gold standard to assess chondral/osteochondral pathology. A wide range of options for cartilage lesions is practised nowadays, ranging from conservative measures to simple arthroscopic interventions, marrow tapping techniques, osteochondral auto/allografting, cell-based techniques, growth factors, and emerging gene therapy techniques. Once a cartilage lesion is identified, multiple variables must be evaluated when determining treatment options. The patient's clinical symptoms must correlate to physical examination and imaging findings to determine if the cartilage injury is the source of the patient's pain. In this presentation, I tried to summarize how to deal with cartilage lesions based on their size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Osteochondral lesions (OCLs) are commonly seen in the ankle and knee joints, and present difficult challenges for treatment. Evaluating the effectiveness of a treatment is dependent on how well constructed, content specific, reliable, and responsive the outcome measures used are. Currently, a considerable variety of outcome scores are used to assess the treatment effect of OCLs. The purpose of this study was to compare the frequency of validated outcome scores utilized in the ankle versus knee literature. Methods: A computerized search of multiple electronic databases was performed for all clinical studies from 2011 to 2020 assessing treatment outcome of ankle and knee OCLs. Eligible studies were independently screened by two reviewers. Outcome scores used in each eligible study were recorded and the overall frequency calculated. Correlation coefficients were used to determine if there was an association between use of validated outcome score with journal impact factor, publication year, or study level of evidence. Results: A total of 75 eligible ankle OCL studies were identified, with 27 different outcome scores utilized. The most frequently used scores were the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) Clinical Rating Systems (47.7%), Visual Analog Scale (VAS) (34.4%), and Foot and Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS) (6.3%). Validated outcome scores were used in only 14.7% of all ankle OCL studies. There was no correlation between the use of validated outcome scores and journal impact factor (p=0.72), publication year (p=0.45), or level of evidence (p=0.66). A total of 239 eligible knee OCL studies were identified, with 34 different outcome scores utilized. The most frequently used scores were the International Knee Documentation Committee subjective knee forms (IKDC) (33.2%), Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) (19.8%), and Tegner Activity Scale (TAS) (17.1%). Validated outcome scores were utilized in 87.4% of all knee OCL studies, compared to 14.7% in ankle OCL studies (p<0.001). There was no correlation between the use of validated outcome scores and journal impact factor (p=0.19), publication year (p=0.58), or level of evidence (p=0.62). Conclusions: Validated outcome scores were more frequently utilized in knee OCL studies compared to ankle OCL studies. Nearly half the ankle OCL studies utilized the AOFAS score despite the score not being shown to be valid or reliable. The extremely low frequency of validated scores used within the ankle literature may limit how well treatment effectiveness in ankle OCLs is appropriately evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To evaluate the long-term clinical and magnetic resonance imaging outcomes of patients treated with an all-arthroscopic matrix-assisted autologous chondrocyte transplantation (MACT) technique for articular cartilage lesions of the knee. Methods: A total of 63 patients (21 women, 42 men) with a mean age of 35 ± 9.2 years, were treated with an all-arthroscopic MACT technique for articular cartilage lesions of the knee. Patients were prospectively evaluated preoperatively and after 2, 5, and 10 years of the surgery using multiple clinical scores: Lysholm, Tegner, International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC), and the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS); as well as with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) T2-mapping at the same time points. Failure was defined as a reoperation because of symptoms caused by the primary repaired defect or a patient improvement of <10 points in the IKDC subjective score between the preoperative value and the final follow-up value. Results: Patients showed statistically significant clinical improvement in all PROM scores at 2, 5, and 10 years postoperative (PO) compared to their preoperative status. MRI T2-Mapping values of the repaired tissue decreased from 59.0 ± 14.6 ms preoperatively to 44.4 ± 15.6 ms at 10 years PO (P= 0.008), showing no statistical differences compared to the native cartilage values (39.1 ± 4.0 ms, P= 0.398). A surgical failure rate of 1.5% was documented, which was increased to 33% when clinical failures were also considered. Among all the analyzed factors linked to the likelihood of failure, lesions >4cm2 were the only ones to show statistical significance (P= 0.024). Conclusions: Patients treated with this arthroscopic MACT technique showed good and long-lasting clinical outcomes, as well as close to native cartilage characteristics on MRI T2-mapping. A limited number of failures were observed at 10 years PO, with most failures being in the first two years after treatment. Big chondral lesions (>4cm2) were found to have a greater likelihood of failing. UPLOAD-https://planion-client-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AOSSM/blobs/9e2d9f3a-b8a0-4921-9952-144a0de7acd7/1/Base%5fPx%5fAMECI%5f-%5fClinica%5f2.pdf UPLOAD-https://planion-client-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AOSSM/blobs/e39a94d5-bbc5-4e27-8493-786a2237cef3/1/Patient-Reported%5fOutcome%5fMeasures%5f1.pdf UPLOAD-https://planion-client-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AOSSM/blobs/aba360a2-961d-4b2e-a4fa-1049626e23d3/1/MRI%5fT2-Mapping%5f2.pdf UPLOAD-https://planion-client-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AOSSM/blobs/d9c78782-8a61-446f-b0e7-24873b631a5a/1/kaplan_meier.pdf [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: While an excellent option for osteochondral defects in the adult knee, outcomes following fresh osteochondral allograft (OCA) the skeletally immature are limited. Purpose: To compare radiographic and patient reported outcomes (PROs) in mature and skeletally immature adolescents following OCA of the knee. Methods: An IRB-approved review of fresh size-matched OCA treatment of knee lesions in patients aged < 19 years within a pediatric sports medicine practice from 1/2006-3/2019 was completed. Following exclusion of patients with less than 12 months follow-up, demographics, lesion characteristics, reoperations, and PROs were evaluated. A novel grading scale (k= 0.832) was utilized to evaluate radiographic OCA incorporation: A=complete, B= >50%, or C= <50% healed. Results: Forty-four patients [15.5 years (9.6-19.8) treated with OCA of the distal femur or patella (LFC= 18, MFC=17, Trochlea=6, Patella=3), 24 with open and 20 with closed physes, with 2.2 year follow up (range 1-5.3 years) were evaluated. Overall average graft size was 4.76cm2 and did not differ significantly between groups. Thirty-nine patients underwent at least one prior procedure to the ipsilateral knee, most frequently for attempted osteochondral lesion healing (77%), followed by realignment (22.7%), and meniscal pathology (15.9%). Graft failure occurred in only one skeletally immature patient with a trochlear lesion. Those with open physes were more likely to demonstrate complete graft incorporation (66.6%, p=0.001). 21(88%) patients with open physes and 17(85%) patients with closed physes had radiographic healing grades of A or B one year post-operatively. There was no difference in healing grade based on graft size, depth, or location within the knee. There was no difference in pre-operative PROs or activity scores. At final follow-up, open physes OCA patients demonstrated better KOOS scores (KOOS daily living 97.0 vs 89.5, p=0.02; KOOS pain 95.7 vs 84.6, p= 0.04; KOOS quality of life 157.2 vs 59.6, p= 0.005). Final activity scores did not vary by skeletal maturity (Pedi-IKDC 75.8 vs 77.99; Pedi-FABS 17.2 vs 13.5,) or radiographic healing grade. Daily living and pain scores were better in those with more radiographic healing (KOOS daily living 98.6 vs 86,2, p= 0.02; KOOS pain 96.7 vs 82.3, p= 0.048). Conclusion: Fresh osteochondral allograft treatment in the young knee may be expected to yield good early results. Despite relatively large graft size, when indicated for patients with open physes, equivalent or improved healing and patient reported outcomes may be expected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the clinical outcomes and rates of return to play in patients who underwent an osteochondral allograft (OCA) procedure for a symptomatic osteochondral defect in the knee. Methods: A retrospective review of patients who underwent an OCA for an osteochondral defect of the knee, between June 2011 and March 2019 was performed. Return to play, the level of return and the timing of return were assessed. Additionally, the reasons for being unable to return were evaluated. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results: Overall, there were 103 patients who underwent OCA at our institution and met our inclusion and exclusion criteria. The mean age was 31.8 ± 11 years, and 63.9% were male, with a mean of 44.2 ± 23.3 month follow-up. The overall rate of return to play was found to be 63.1% (N=65), while the rate of RTP at the same or higher level was 32.0% (N = 33). With respect to the patients who were unable to return to their desired sport, reasons cited included pain in the operative knee (N = 18, 47.3%), physical inability to perform in the desired sport (N = 8, 21.1%), and fear of re-injury (N = 6, 15.8%). Conclusions: Overall, there was a poor rate of return to play following OCA. Additionally, the majority of patients were unable to return to play at their pre-injury level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]