Prospective comparative study of intraoperative “Towel clip test” and “Vertical patella test” assessing lateral retinaculum tightness in patients undergoing TKA

BackgroundProper patellar tracking is one of the most important aspect of TKA to ensure good functional outcome. A patellar tracking problem noted intraoperatively serves as a warning sign and should prompt the surgeon to reassess position of each component. Various tests are there to assess lateral retinaculum tightness viz. "No thumb test", "Towel clip test". A new test "Vertical patella test" is described to assess lateral retinaculum tightness. A study was conducted to assess the effectiveness, correlation and validity of two techniques.Materials & MethodsPatients >50 years of age and with diagnosis of Osteoarthritis knee having less than 30 varus and flexion deformity going in for primary TKA were selected with a sample size of 100 knees in a tertiary care centre. Revision cases or patients with flexion contracture more than 30, complex knee surgery; with pre existing patellar tilt were excluded from study.ResultsResults of both tests were found to correlate in 75% of case with sensitivity of 96.65% and specificity of 75.00%. Kappa came out to be 0.634 which shows good agreement of vertical patella test and towel clip test. Result was computed using excel and SPSS and was found to be significant with p value< 0.05. Lateral retinaculum release was done in 8 knees.ConclusionsVertical patella test correlates with towel clip test, is easy to perform and saves time. The limitation of our study was small sample size.     

膝前框形钢丝内固定治疗髌骨骨折

目的　总结采用钢丝环扎 +膝前方框形张力带钢丝内固定法治疗髌骨骨折的经验和临床效果。方法　对 3 5例髌骨骨折应用此方法治疗 ,其中男性 2 4例 ,女性 11例 ,3 0例获得 3～ 2 4个月随访。结果　优 19例 ,良 10例 ,可1例 ,优良率 96 7%。术后未出现骨折再移位 ,无伤口感染。愈合时间 6～ 12周。结论　该方法符合生物力学原理 ,操作简便 ,适应证广 ,能早期关节活动 ,是治疗髌骨骨折的理想方法之一。     

CPM在髌骨骨折张力带内固定术后的应用

目的 探讨CPM在髌骨骨折改良张力带内固定术后的应用效果。方法 早期应用CPM治疗髌骨骨折行改良张力带内固定术后病人156例。结果 所有病例均得到随访，临床疗效优良率为98％。结论 在髌骨骨折行改良张力带内固定术后早期应用CMP，可显著利于膝关节功能恢复，提高治愈率。     

Proprioceptive abilities of patients with a patellar pain syndrome with special reference to the effect of an elastic knee bandage

Summary In the presented study, knee joint proprioception of 43 patients with a patellar pain syndrome of the knee joint was evaluated. In a control group, the proprioception of 30 healthy volunteers with clinical and anamnestic inconspicous knee joints was examined. We tested the proprioceptive capability of the subjects with a passive angle reproduction test. Additionally, all knee joints were measured with and without an elastic knee bandage. The patient group showed significant deterioration of angle reproduction capability (13.2 °± 6.1 °) compared to the control group (7.8 °± 2.8 °). After applying an elastic knee bandage, the angle reproduction capability significantly improved to 9.2 °± 4.5 °. Proprioception of the contralateral, noninvolved knee joint in the patients (11.6 °± 6.3 °) was worse compared to the control group. Applying an elastic knee bandage did not significantly improve the proprioception of the uninjured knee joint.      

The effects of tibial rotation on patellar position

The effects of external and internal tibial rotation on patellar motion were investigated using a magnetic 3Space^® tracker system (Polhemus, Colchester, VT 05446, USA). Seven fresh-frozen adult cadaver knees were used in this study. The muscle alignment of each quadriceps muscle was measured to determine the direction of loading forces. Three loading patterns were used to simulate the unresisted knee extension during sitting, standing from squatting and the stance phase of walking, with different weights applied to each quadriceps muscle at each knee flexion angle. The position of the patella, along with patellar shift, tilt and rotation was measured and compared to external or internal tibial rotation and neutral rotation. In the sitting and squatting simulations the patella showed at the terminal extension of the knee more lateral shift and a more lateral tilt with tibial external rotation than in a neutral position (P < 0.05). In walking simulation, the patella showed more external rotation with external rotation of the tibia than with a neutral one, at the 0, 72 and 90% of the stance phase of walking (P < 0.05). These results demonstrate the importance of external tibial rotation as a factor in the development of patellar dislocations or subluxations, especially in athletes.     

Simultaneous bilateral versus unilateral tibial tubercle fractures

PurposeTibial tubercle/tuberosity fractures are rare injuries in young patients accounting for less than one percent of physeal fractures. Bilateral simultaneous fractures are even rarer, with only a few case reports in literature. The purpose of our study was to describe the largest case series of bilateral simultaneous tibial tuberosity avulsion fractures and compare it with unilateral fractures. We also wanted to compare our bilateral fractures case series with all the cases reported in the last 65 years.MethodsIRB approved retrospective study involving patients under age 18 years with tibial tuberosity avulsion fractures. Bilateral simultaneous fractures were compared to a unilateral group including demographic data, mechanism of injury, clinical exam findings, complication rates, and outcomes including return to function. Statistical analysis was performed using Mann-Whitney and Fisher Exact tests to compare the different groups.Results138 patients (131 males, 7 females) from a tertiary children’s hospital between 2012 and 2019 with tibial tuberosity avulsion fractures were included. 11 bilateral simultaneous fractures (BL Group) were identified and compared to age matched cohort from the 127 unilateral fracture patients (UL group). There was no significant difference found in BMI, height, weight, age, sex, mechanism of injury, return to functional range of motion, and return to sports between the groups. 7/11 (63%) of the patients in the BL group who sustained simultaneous fractures had to be home bound and could not attend school for an average of 8.3 weeks. There was a higher rate of complications in the BL group (63.3%) compared to the UL group (21.1%), which was statistically significant. The most common complications in the bilateral group were hardware removal and wound dehiscence.ConclusionThis first case series comparing unilateral versus bilateral simultaneous tibial tuberosity avulsion fractures suggests that the final outcomes of the two groups are similar, however it shows a significantly higher complication rate and hardware removal rate in the BL group. This study is also the first to highlight the significant initial morbidity in the BL fracture group with issues with regards to early mobility and loss of school-days. Keeping in mind the profound initial impact the bilateral injury poses to the patient; surgeons can possibly plan for rigid fixation for early mobilization to better prepare bilateral fracture patients for the early post-operative recovery process.     

同种异体肌腱修复膝关节韧带损伤2年随访报道

目的探索应用同种异体肌腱修复膝关节韧带损伤的临床疗效,避免取自体肌腱造成的膝关节周围组织再损伤和并发症。方法采用经深低温冷冻加γ射线照射处理的同种异体骨-髌腱-骨移植,关节镜下修复膝关节交叉韧带损伤30例,前交叉韧带16例、后交叉韧带9例,前、后交叉韧带一期修复5例。其中1例镜下行半月板缝合,15例行半月板部分切除或完全切除,1例合并胫腓骨骨折,交锁髓内钉固定术后3周行交叉移植修复,3例合并髌骨骨折,与交叉韧带在关节镜下同时修复。结果29例患者获得2年以上随访,采用Lysholm膝关节功能评分法评估患膝手术前后的功能,术前平均36分,术后平均85分,优良率86%。客观检查,前抽屉试验阳性,术前21例,术后弱阳性2例,后抽屉试验阳性,术前14例,术后弱阳性3例,Lachman试验阳性,术前21例,术后弱阳性4例,术后遗留膝关节运动后疼痛2例,可忍受,膝关节屈曲活动受限(5°～20°)2例。其中7例术后1～2年取内固定或镜下行韧带固缩过程中,取少许异体髌腱活检,结果已全部转变为正常腱性组织。结论应用同种异体骨-髌腱-骨组织修复膝关节韧带损伤,术后通过系统的康复治疗,能有效恢复膝关节功能。     

Achilles tendinopathy after treatment with fluoroquinolone

Fluoroquinolone antibiotic therapy is a recognized but poorly understood cause for Achilles tendinopathy. We report here a patient who developed bilateral partial Achilles tendon tears as a result of fluoroquinolone therapy. Ultrasound and MRI were both useful in identifying and distinguishing between Achilles tendinosis and tendon rupture. The current published literature on this problem was also reviewed.