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Purpose: To determine whether tranexamic acid (TXA) is safe to administer preoperatively in patients undergoing hip arthroscopy by comparing the venous thromboembolic rate and complication rate between patients who did and did not receive TXA preoperatively., Methods: This was a multicenter consecutive-cohort series of patients who underwent arthroscopic hip surgery between 2014 and 2021. The 2 cohorts comprised patients who did and did not receive TXA preoperatively (single dose of 1-2 g), after a practice change. Data were collected via chart review. Surgical outcomes included days until follow-up, visual analog scale pain score at first follow-up, total operating room (OR) time, number of arthroscopic fluid bags (3 L/bag), and complications and revision operations up to 1 year after surgery. The Mann-Whitney U test was performed for continuous variables, and the χ 2 test, for categorical variables., Results: A total of 862 patients were identified: 449 (52%) received TXA and 413 (48%) did not. Patient demographic characteristics including age, sex, height, weight, body mass index, smoking status, and procedures performed, as well as number of anchors used (3.5 anchors for no TXA vs 3.7 anchors for TXA) and traction time (38 minutes for no TXA vs 40 minutes for TXA), did not significantly differ between groups. Significantly more patients underwent prior hip arthroscopy in the TXA group (n = 45; primary, n = 404) than in the group that did not receive TXA (n = 25; primary, n = 388) (P = .03). Visual analog scale pain scores at the first follow-up visit (2.61 for no TXA vs 2.62 for TXA, P = .62) and the need for subsequent revision surgery (24 patients with no TXA vs 18 patients with TXA, P = .68) were not significantly different. TXA use was associated with less arthroscopic fluid utilization (5.9 bags of 3 L of fluid for no TXA vs 5.3 bags of 3 L of fluid for TXA, P < .01) and less total OR time (99.5 minutes for no TXA vs 90.0 minutes for TXA, P < .01). There was a higher overall complication rate in the group that did not receive TXA (n = 27) than in the group that did (n = 10) (P = .01). However, if lateral femoral cutaneous nerve neurapraxia was excluded, then no difference in complication rate was observed (P = .24)., Conclusions: There was no difference in the incidence of venous thromboembolic complications between patients who did and did not receive TXA preoperatively. We observed a lower overall complication rate in patients who received TXA preoperatively; however, this normalized between the 2 groups when lateral femoral cutaneous nerve neuritis was excluded. No difference in early pain control or revision surgery rate was observed between groups. Although there was statistically less arthroscopic fluid utilization and less total OR time in the group that received TXA, further studies are needed to clarify whether this is clinically meaningful. Preoperatively administered TXA is a safe adjunct medication in patients undergoing arthroscopic hip surgery., Level of Evidence: Level III, retrospective multicenter consecutive series., Competing Interests: Disclosures The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: R.W. reports board membership and a consulting or advisory relationship with University of Iowa. M.B. reports board membership and a consulting or advisory relationship with Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute. All other authors (S.A.S., S.C.M., S.L., K.G., A.H.) declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Arthroscopy Association of North America. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Hip and groin pain is common in athletes, and there are many possible underlying pathologies. It is important to describe athletic hip pathology in the context of sport-specific physiologic loads and biomechanical demands. Three distinct types of athletes with this pathology are collision athletes, hypermobility athletes, and endurance athletes. Although there is considerable overlap between sports, athletes with hip pain should always be evaluated in the context of their sport. Understanding the effect of sport-specific biomechanical demands may help with both diagnosis and treatment of athletic hip pathology; however, each athlete's injury should be analyzed on an individual basis.

Background: The preseason is a crucial time period for professional athletes to prepare for the upcoming season. However, due to the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the 2020 National Football League (NFL) preseason was canceled. As the regular season progressed, an increased number of injuries became apparent., Purpose/hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to compare injury rates between the 2019 and 2020 NFL regular seasons after the canceled 2020 preseason. It was hypothesized that injury rates in the 2020 season would be the same or higher compared with 2019., Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study., Methods: A public database of all 32 NFL teams was used to examine the movement of all players to injured reserve status as well as every player who missed a regular-season game due to injury for both the 2019 and the 2020 NFL regular seasons. Data collection consisted of tallying the total number of reported musculoskeletal injuries for each team. Comparisons of injury rates between the 2 seasons were made using a Wilcoxon signed-rank statistical analysis., Results: The total number of musculoskeletal injuries was 632 for the 2019 regular season and 765 for the 2020 regular season ( P = .0324). Compared with 2019, statistically significant increases in injury rates in 2020 were seen for calf or Achilles tendon strain (17 vs 39; P = .009), groin injury (25 vs 46; P = .018), and anterior cruciate ligament tear (14 vs 29; P = .016). There were several other increased trends in soft tissue injury rates in the 2020 season (eg, hamstring injury [87 vs 114; P = .085]); however, these did not reach statistical significance., Conclusion: This study showed a significant increase in total injuries during the 2020 COVID-19-affected NFL regular season compared with 2019. Several major soft tissue injuries reached statistical significance in their increase from 2019 to 2020 after the cancellation of the 2020 preseason due to COVID-19. These findings suggest that organized team preseason training and conditioning could have an effect on the prevention of sport-related injury at the highest level., Competing Interests: One or more of the authors has declared the following potential conflict of interest or source of funding: C.P. has received education payments from Micromed and hospitality payments from Arthrex. M.B. has received consulting fees from Smith & Nephew, Stryker, and Vericel; speaking fees from Arthrex and Smith & Nephew; and honoraria from Vericel. AOSSM checks author disclosures against the Open Payments Database (OPD). AOSSM has not conducted an independent investigation on the OPD and disclaims any liability or responsibility relating thereto., (© The Author(s) 2022.)

Background: No study has specifically evaluated how ulnar neuritis and ulnar nerve transposition affect outcomes in baseball players undergoing ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstruction (UCLR)., Purpose: To evaluate the effects of ulnar neuritis and ulnar nerve transposition in baseball pitchers undergoing UCLR in regard to return to sport, time to return to sport, and need for revision or additional surgery., Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3., Methods: At a single institution, all consecutive baseball pitchers undergoing UCLR between 2002 and 2015 were identified. Ulnar neuritis was diagnosed preoperatively by the following criteria: ulnar nerve symptoms, Tinel sign at the elbow, symptomatic subluxation, and numbness/paresthesia in an ulnar nerve distribution of the hand. The primary outcome of the study was return to sport. The secondary outcomes of the study were time to return to sport, length of playing career, and revision or additional surgery., Results: A total of 578 UCLRs were performed in baseball players; of these, 500 UCLRs were performed in pitchers. Ulnar neuritis was diagnosed in 97 (19.4%) baseball pitchers presenting with UCL injury. There were no significant differences in patient characteristics or surgical techniques performed for reconstruction between baseball pitchers with and without ulnar neuritis. In review of injury characteristics, ulnar neuritis was significantly more likely to be diagnosed in pitchers with an acute onset of UCL injury ( P = .03). Transposition of the ulnar nerve was more commonly performed in players with ulnar neuritis (47%) versus those without ulnar neuritis (10%; P = .0001). The players who had ulnar neuritis and underwent UCLR had a significantly lower odds of returning to sport (odds ratio, 0.45; P = .04); however, no significant difference was found for time to return to sport and length of playing career for those with and without ulnar neuritis ( P = .38 and .51, respectively)., Conclusion: The study suggests that ulnar neuritis, when present preoperatively in baseball pitchers undergoing UCLR, may adversely affect their ability to return to sport, whereas ulnar nerve transposition at the time of UCLR does not alter the ability to return to sport.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the incidence of hip arthroscopy in patients with labral pathology in the United States from 2011-2018 using a large national database., Methods: Patients who underwent hip arthroscopy from 2011-2018 were identified using Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes in the PearlDiver Patients Records Database (Colorado Springs, CO), which is a national database of orthopedic insurance records, including Medicare patients. The incidence of surgeries, age, and gender were all recorded. Groups were analyzed using SPSS version 24 (IBM, Armonk NY). CPT codes 29914/15/16 were introduced January 1, 2011 which is when we began our analysis. CPT-29999 and laterality were not assessed., Results: In total, 35,966 arthroscopies were identified between 2011 and 2018 from a randomly selected sample of 30 million orthopaedic patients from the PearlDiver Mariner dataset. The incidence increased by 85% from 2011 to 2018 (7.31 cases vs 13.54 cases per 100,000 patients). The distribution of the age of patients undergoing hip arthroscopy was bimodal with the mode of each peak at 18 years old and 42 years old, respectively. Females underwent surgery more frequently (67.9%) than males (32.1%). The most common CPT code for hip arthroscopy was 29914 (43.9) which corresponds to a hip arthroscopy with femoroplasty., Conclusions: Our findings corroborate those of previous studies and support the increase in incidence of hip arthroscopy in the United States. We indicate an overall increase of 85% from 2011 to 2018 and support previous trends, such as higher incidence of hip arthroscopy in women. Our study also supports a decreasing mean age for patients, likely due to improved diagnostics and surgeon familiarity and comfort with the procedure., Level of Evidence: Level 3, Retrospective Comparative Study., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: In hip arthroscopy, the best capsular closure technique to prevent microinstability in some patients while preventing overconstraints in other patients has yet to be determined., Purpose: To evaluate the biomechanical effects of capsular repair, capsular shift, and combination capsular shift and capsular plication for closure of the hip capsule., Study Design: Controlled laboratory study., Methods: Eight cadaveric hips (4 male and 4 female hips; mean age, 55.7 years) were evaluated in 7 conditions: intact, vented, capsulotomy, side-to-side repair, side-to-side repair with capsular plication (interval closure between iliofemoral and ischiofemoral ligaments), capsular shift repair, and capsular shift repair with plication. Measurements, via a 360° goniometer, included internal and external rotation with 1.5 N·m of torque at 5° of extension and 0°, 30°, 60°, and 90° of flexion. In addition, the degree of maximum extension with 5 N·m of torque and the amount of femoral distraction with 40 N and 80 N of force were obtained. Repeated-measures analysis of variance and Tukey post hoc analyses were used to analyze differences between capsular conditions., Results: At lower hip positions (5° of extension, 0° and 30° of flexion), there was a significant increase in external rotation and total rotation after capsulotomy versus the intact state ( P < .05). At all hip flexion angles, there was a significant increase in external rotation, internal rotation, and total rotation as well as a significant increase in maximum extension after capsulotomy versus capsular shift with plication ( P < .05 for all). At all flexion angles, both capsular closure with side-to-side repair (with or without plication) and capsular shift without capsular plication were able to restore rotation, with no significant differences compared with the intact capsule ( P > .05). Among repair constructs, there were significant differences in range of motion between side-to-side repair and combined capsular shift with plication ( P < .05)., Conclusion: At all positions, significantly increased rotational motion was seen after capsulotomy. Capsular closure was able to restore rotation similar to an intact capsule. Combined capsular shift and plication may provide more restrained rotation for conditions of hip microinstability but may overconstrain hips without laxity., Clinical Relevance: More advanced closure techniques or a combination of techniques may be needed for patients with hip laxity and microinstability. At the same time, simple repair may suffice for patients without these conditions., Competing Interests: One or more of the authors has declared the following potential conflict of interest or source of funding: M.B. has received education payments from Arthrex, consulting fees from Stryker and Vericel, and nonconsulting fees from Arthrex, Smith & Nephew, and Vericel. AOSSM checks author disclosures against the Open Payments Database (OPD). AOSSM has not conducted an independent investigation on the OPD and disclaims any liability or responsibility relating thereto., (© The Author(s) 2021.)

Purpose: To establish mean distance or identify intersection between tibial tunnels for posterior meniscal root repair in the setting of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) or posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) reconstruction., Methods: Twelve cadaver knees and 12 solid foam synthetic tibiae were used. ACL and PCL tunnels were drilled for single-bundle reconstruction, and both medial and lateral posterior root repair tunnels were drilled. Specimens underwent computed tomography scanning and shortest distances between tunnels in all planes were measured by 2 readers. Distances were compared between groups using a t -test., Results: In ACL reconstruction, the medial meniscal root tunnel was not significantly closer to the cruciate tunnel when drilled from either medial or lateral side ( P  = .333). The lateral meniscal root tunnel was significantly closer when drilled from medial compared to lateral side ( P < .001). In PCL reconstruction, both medial ( P  = .037) and lateral ( P  = .028) meniscal root tunnels were significantly closer to the PCL tunnel when drilled from the contralateral side of the tibia., Conclusion: This study demonstrates that posterior meniscal root repair tunnels are often placed within a few millimeters and can even intersect cruciate ligament reconstruction tunnels in the proximal tibia., Clinical Relevance: The information in this study may assist surgeons in planning for cruciate ligament reconstruction with concomitant posterior meniscal root repair., (© 2021 by the Arthroscopy Association of North America. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Proximal hamstring tendon avulsions are a relatively rare type of hamstring injury associated with persistent morbidity, including pain, weakness, and functional limitations. Open or endoscopic surgical repair is the standard treatment for complete tendon avulsions or partial tears that remain symptomatic despite conservative management in relatively young, healthy, and active patients. However, complications known to occur include retearing of the hamstring, infection, nerve injury, inability to return to work or sport, subjective persistent weakness, and subjective persistent pain. In the case of persistent pain where the repair is partially retorn, a careful history, physical examination, and scrutiny of radiologic studies can help guide management. We describe a technique for using revision endoscopy and augmentation with a bovine bioinductive patch in a case of chronic persistently painful partial retear after a proximal hamstring repair., (© 2020 Published by Elsevier on behalf of the Arthroscopy Association of North America.)

Hip surgical techniques have evolved significantly, transitioning from open techniques to arthroscopic techniques. Hip arthroscopy has many advantages over open techniques, including reduced trauma to surrounding tissues, reduced risk of infection, and improved patient-reported outcome measures. Hip arthroscopic techniques are now commonly used for pathologies such as femoroacetabular impingement (FAI). FAI can include cam, pincer, or mixed impingement. Through hip arthroscopy, FAI may be treated with a femoroplasty and acetabuloplasty along with addressing any labral pathology that may exist. Owing to the capsule playing an integral role in hip stability, surgeons are now mindful of the initial approach and closure on completion of the intra-articular procedure. The most common approach for capsulotomy is the inside-out approach. However, this approach can be difficult in patients with a large pincer deformity. The authors describe an outside-in approach to arthroscopic hip capsulotomy. This capsular approach helps protect the labrum and articular cartilage while preserving capsular tissue., (© 2020 by the Arthroscopy Association of North America. Published by Elsevier.)

Purpose: To define the topographic anatomy of the footprint of the adductor longus origin on the pubis and its underlying bony morphology to better inform surgical repair of adductor longus tendon injuries., Methods: Five cadaveric pelvis specimens were dissected, making 10 adductor footprints available for analysis. The adductor longus tendon origin was isolated and the surrounding tissue debrided. The circumference of the tendinous attachment to the pubic crest was marked before excising the tendon and fibrocartilage enthesis from the pubis. Radiopaque paint was prepared by mixing 30 mL of all-purpose acrylic paint (Anita's no. 11150 Island Blue; Rust-Oleum Corp, Vernon Hills, IL) with 15g of E-Z-HD 98% w/w barium sulfate (Bracco Diagnostics Inc., Anjou Quebec, Canada) and applied to the marked footprint. The specimens underwent a 1.0-mm slice computed tomographic scan with 3-dimensional reconstructions. Synapse PACS (FujiFilm, Valhalla, NY) software for measurements of the tendon footprint and underlying bone., Results: Average age and weight of the specimens at the time of death was 37 years and 204.6 ± 48.7 lbs, respectively. The width and length of the tendon origin was 12.0 ± 1.1 mm and 10.9 ± 1.1 mm, respectively. The distance of the center of the footprint from the center of the pubic tubercle was 8.5 ± 1.4 mm lateral and 12.2 ± 0.4 mm caudal. The osseous thickness underlying the footprint was 18.7 ± 3.7 mm at an angle of 34.5 ± 1.5° in relation to the sagittal plane. The correlation between specimen body weight and the thickness of the bone underlying the footprint was strongly positive (r = 0.92)., Conclusions: We found that there is a consistent angle from the center of the adductor longus tendon footprint to the point of maximal underlying bony thickness, as well as a positive correlation between body mass index and osseous thickness, which may inform anatomic reattachment of this tendon., Clinical Relevance: Our findings will assist surgeons in identifying the footprint of the adductor longus tendon and safely perform anatomic repair of adductor longus tendon avulsions., (© 2020 by the Arthroscopy Association of North America. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many US health systems suspended elective surgery at the recommendation of the US Surgeon General. This dramatically decreased case volumes for orthopaedic sports medicine fellows at academic institutions., Purpose: To describe how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the education of the sports medicine fellowship class of 2020 as well as the subsequent effects on their career plans and psychological well-being., Study Design: Cross-sectional study., Methods: A 33-item survey was distributed via email to all American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) 2020 fellow members on April 22, 2020. Frequencies are presented as raw totals and percentages of respondents. The Fisher exact test was used to determine statistical significance between nominal variables, with significance set at P < .05., Results: Of 210 registered fellows, 101 (48.1%) responded. Before the COVID-19 outbreak, the typical case volume per week for most fellows (47.5%) was 11 to 15 cases. From the enactment of COVID-19 mitigation policies to the date of survey completion, 90.1% of fellows had performed fewer than 20 cases. A total of 32 fellows were presented with redeployment options by their fellowship program, with 10 redeployed mandatorily to other hospital departments. Fellows reported that web-based didactics (n = 100) and web-based journal clubs (n = 72) were utilized as alternative supplements in the absence of clinical education. There were 8 respondents who had either their prior contract or job offer rescinded, while 1 had a signed contract voided. As a result, 6 fellows now plan to matriculate into a previously unplanned fellowship. Also, 10 respondents' intended practice start date was being delayed by their employer. Respondents whose postfellowship plans were affected were statistically more likely to experience doubts about readiness for practice (58.8% vs 20.3%, respectively; P = .005), anxiety about future career plans (94.4% vs 63.8%, respectively; P = .01), anxiety about their financial situation (86.7% vs 50.8%, respectively; P = .018), stress in personal relationships (58.8% vs 29.9%, respectively; P = .045), and signs or symptoms of depression (41.2% vs 11.1%, respectively; P = .007) compared with those whose plans were not affected., Conclusion: This survey illustrates that during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent suspension of elective surgery, there have been downstream effects to this group's education, careers, board certification timeline, and potentially their social and/or emotional well-being., Competing Interests: One or more of the authors has declared the following potential conflict of interest or source of funding: This study was sponsored by the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM). The AOSSM was responsible for distributing the survey to its members. O.L. has received consulting fees from Arthrex and Linvatec, nonconsulting fees from Arthrex, and royalties from Linvatec. M.B. has received educational support from Arthrex, consulting fees from Stryker, nonconsulting fees from Arthrex and Vericel, and honoraria from Vericel. AOSSM checks author disclosures against the Open Payments Database (OPD). AOSSM has not conducted an independent investigation on the OPD and disclaims any liability or responsibility relating thereto., (© The Author(s) 2020.)

Water polo places significant stress on the hip joint requiring repetitive hip flexion and rotation to elevate the body out of water for passing, shooting and blocking. Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) is common in water polo athletes; however, no study to date has investigated the results of hip arthroscopy in this patient population. The purpose of this study was to determine return to play rates and satisfaction following hip arthroscopy for FAI in a cohort of elite level water polo players. A retrospective review of our surgical database was performed. Collegiate water polo players with clinical and radiographic FAI who underwent hip arthroscopy were identified. Pre- and post-operative modified Harris hip scores (mHHSs) were obtained. Patient surveys were administered to determine return to play rates, level of return to play, timing of return and patient satisfaction. A Wilcoxon ranked sum test was performed to compare pre- and post-operative outcome scores. Ten patients met inclusion criteria. Average age was 19.5 years old (SD  ±1.08). All patients were male Division 1 collegiate water polo players. Median mHHS improved from 66.0 (SD  ±7.9) pre-operatively to 89.5 (SD  ±3.2) at average 1.6 years (range: 0.4-3.6 years) post-operatively. Patient survey responses demonstrated a 100% return to water polo and 100% return to the same level of play (NCAA Division 1) at mean 5.75 months (SD  ±1.8). All patients (10/10) reported being satisfied with their surgical result. Our study results, suggest that return to sport rates and patient satisfaction are high in water polo players who undergo hip arthroscopy for FAI., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press.)

Purpose: While hamstring autograft is a popular option for the general population, BTB autograft is still significantly more popular among professional athletes due to concerns of altering knee kinematics with hamstring harvest. This study seeks to quantify the contribution of the medial hamstrings to knee stability., Methods: Valgus knee laxity, anterior tibial translation, and rotational motion were measured in eight fresh-frozen cadaveric knees after forces were applied on the tibia in each plane (coronal, sagittal, and axial). Four muscle loading conditions were tested: (1) physiologic fully loaded pes anserinus, (2) semitendinosus only loaded, (3) gracilis only loaded, and (4) unloaded pes anserinus. The protocol was then repeated with the ACL transected., Results: In the ACL intact knee, the neutral position of the tibia with an unloaded pes anserinus was significantly more externally rotated (p < 0.01) and anteriorly translated (p < 0.05) at all knee flexion angles than a tibia with a physiologic loaded pes anserinus. Applying an external rotation torque significantly increased external rotation for the fully unloaded (p < 0.001), gracilis only loaded (p < 0.001), and semitendinosus only loaded (p < 0.01) conditions at all flexion angles. Applying a valgus torque resulted in a significant increase in laxity for the fully unloaded condition only at 30° of flexion (p < 0.05). Applying an anterior tibial force resulted in significant increase in anterior translation for the fully unloaded condition at all flexion angles (p < 0.01), and for the gracilis only loaded condition in 30° and 60° of flexion (p < 0.05). Similar results were seen in the ACL deficient model., Conclusion: The medial hamstrings are involved in rotational, translational, and varus/valgus control of the knee. Applying anterior, external rotation, and valgus forces on the hamstring deficient knee significantly increases motion in those planes. Harvesting the gracilis and semitendinosus tendons alters native knee kinematics and stability. This is clinically relevant and should be a consideration when choosing graft source for ACL reconstruction, especially in the elite athlete population.

Background: Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction (UCLR) is common in the sport of baseball, particularly among pitchers. Postoperative return-to-sport protocols have many players beginning to throw at 4 to 5 months and returning to full competition between 12 and 16 months after surgery. Medial elbow pain during the return-to-throwing period often occurs and can be difficult to manage., Purpose: To evaluate the incidence of medial elbow pain and associations with outcomes and revision surgery during the return-to-throwing period after UCLR., Study Design: Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3., Methods: Between the years of 2002 and 2014, all pitchers who underwent UCLR at a single institution were identified. Charts were reviewed for incidence of medial elbow pain during return to throwing, return to sport, and subsequent operative interventions, including revision ulnar collateral ligament surgery., Results: Of a total of 616 pitchers who underwent UCLR during the study period, 317 were included in this study. Medial elbow pain was experienced by 45.1% (143 of 317), with a mean time of complaint of 9.75 months after surgery. The groups with and without pain did not differ statistically with regard to age (pain, 20.6 years; no pain, 20.9 years) or level of competition. Of those who experienced medial elbow pain, 10.5% did not return to sport; 5.6% underwent revision UCLR; and 19.6% underwent other operative procedures at the elbow. Among those who did not experience medial elbow pain when returning to throw, 8.7% did not return to sport, with only 1.7% undergoing revision UCLR and 6.9% undergoing other operative elbow procedures., Conclusion: Of the pitchers evaluated in the study, approximately half reported pain during the return-to-throwing phase after UCLR. Those who experienced medial elbow pain had a higher rate of subsequent surgical intervention., Competing Interests: One or more of the authors has declared the following potential conflict of interest or source of funding: R.A.K. has received educational support from Zimmer Biomet, Arthrex, Smith & Nephew, and DJO. O.L. is a consultant for Arthrex and receives royalties from ConMed Linvatec. A.F.D. has received educational support from Arthrex, Smith & Nephew, and DJO. M.B. is a paid speaker/presenter for Arthrex, has received educational support from Mako Surgical, and is a consultant for Stryker. N.S.E. receives royalties from Arthrex and Wolters Kluwer Health–Lippincott Williams & Wilkins and is a paid speaker/presenter for Arthrex. AOSSM checks author disclosures against the Open Payments Database (OPD). AOSSM has not conducted an independent investigation on the OPD and disclaims any liability or responsibility relating thereto.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare standard knee arthroscopic and MRI findings and measurements for visualization of the femoral condyle articular cartilage. The hypothesis was that certain posterior cartilage defects identified with MRI may not be accessible with routine arthroscopy., Materials and Methods: Six cadaveric knees were examined by routine arthroscopy through standard inferomedial and inferolateral portals. Suture anchors were inserted into the femoral condyles at 30°, 60°, 90°, and 120° of flexion as markers of the cartilage surface at the most posterior aspect of the condyle that could be accessed at each degree of flexion. Each specimen was then examined with 3-T MRI and gross dissection. Measurements were obtained and compared., Results: During arthroscopy at 90° of knee flexion, only 5.83 mm of the medial femoral condyle and 6.83 mm of the lateral femoral condyle were visualized posterior to the anchor placed at 90° of flexion. These arthroscopic measurements were statistically significant underestimates of the actual amount of cartilage identified posterior to the 90° anchor at gross dissection (medial condyle, 44.20 mm; lateral condyle, 37.50 mm) and MRI (medial, 41.33 mm; lateral, 38.87 mm). This indicates that 85.9% of the medial and 81.8% of the lateral posterior articular cartilage of the femoral condyle seen at MRI were not visualized during arthroscopy., Conclusion: More than 80% of the articular cartilage proximal to the menisci seen at MRI is not visible during routine arthroscopy. This far posterior articular cartilage should be called the hidden zone.

Purpose: To compare the use of the distal anterolateral accessory (DALA) portal with the anterolateral (AL) and midanterior (MA) portals during arthroscopic hip labral repair., Methods: Standard AL, MA, and DALA portals were created on 6 cadaveric hip specimens. Four 2.4-mm pins were placed in the acetabular rim to the depth of a standard anchor using a drill guide. Pins were placed in the 12 to 3 o'clock positions. The specimens then underwent computed tomographic scans with the pins left in place, and the distance from the pin to the articular surface was calculated at different depths of insertion., Results: In the anterior location, the average starting distance for the DALA pin was 2.05 mm and for the MA pin it was 2.51 mm from the articular surface (P = .29). Statistically significant differences between the DALA and MA pins were found at depths of 6 mm (P = .04) and 9 mm (P = .03). In the superior location, the average starting distance for the DALA pin was 2.40 mm and for the AL pin it was 2.62 mm from the articular surface (P = .34). Statistically significant differences between the DALA and AL pins were found at depths of 6 mm (P = .02), 9 mm (P = .01), 12 mm (P = .01), 15 mm (P = .04), and 18 mm (P = .04)., Conclusions: The DALA portal allows pins to be placed at a greater distance from the articular surface than the MA and AL portals when using a straight drill guide. This may decrease the incidence of intra-articular penetration during arthroscopic hip labral repair., Clinical Relevance: Intra-articular penetration of a drill bit or anchor is an iatrogenic complication that can occur during labral repair. By using the DALA portal instead of the AL and MA, the anchor can be safely placed on the acetabular rim and directly away from the articular surface, decreasing the chance for this complication., (Copyright © 2016 Arthroscopy Association of North America. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)