Arthroscopic irrigation - a cautionary tale

A fit 38-year-old female patient developed absent foot pulses following a routine arthroscopic partial medial meniscectomy. Irrigation fluid, which was delivered using an arthroscopic flushing set, had extravasated through a ruptured Baker's cyst into the popliteal fossa causing vascular compression and spasm. The pulses gradually returned to normal following the procedure. Knee arthroscopy is a common procedure and a Baker's cyst is a common sequel to degenerative disease. With the increasing popularity of pressurised fluid irrigation systems, this previously unreported complication is both relevant and important.     

关节镜辅助下的同种异体半月板移植(附4例术后20个月以上随访报告)

目的:介绍同种异体半月板移植并总结4例关节镜辅助下的同种异体半月板移植的初步临床效果。材料和方法:2005年6月～7月,4例半月板切除术后的患者接受关节镜辅助的同种异体半月板移植手术,其中男性3例、女性1例,平均年龄30.78±7.71岁(21.5～38.5岁)。3例内侧半月板移植,1例外侧半月板移植。随访采用症状询问,体征检查,IKDC、Lysholm和Tegner评分及KT2000测量关节稳定性的方法。4例患者均每半年进行一次X线片及MRI检查,分别观察膝关节的关节间隙改变及移植半月板状态。对所得结果,因病例只有4例,故只进行数据描述,不进行统计学分析。结果:对4例患者均进行了平均21.80±0.81(20～22)个月的随访。所有患者随访时关节活动度均正常,均无明显的膝关节疼痛和肿胀,原来长时间活动后被切除半月板的间室不适完全消失。患者可以胜任日常活动和体育锻炼,无并发症出现。IKDC、Lysholm、Tegner评分均较术前明显提高。KT2000测量发现术后膝关节的稳定性有所改善。X线片检查提示术后患者关节间隙无明显变化。每半年一次的MRI检查提示移植半月板术后1年时替代存活已经很好。结论:关节镜辅助下的同种异体半月板移植安全可行,半月板移植可缓解半月板切除后出现的关节疼痛、肿胀等症状,促进关节功能恢复并使膝关节的稳定性有所改善。     

Tumor-Like Meniscal Cyst

A 50-year-old woman presented with a 5-year history of mild pain in her right knee, which had increased over the last 2 years. A palpable mass over the anterolateral aspect of the knee was obvious and the last 3 months she was experiencing locking episodes with consequent knee effusion. The differential diagnosis was driven between meniscal cyst, pigmented villonodular synovitis, synovial sarcoma, synovial chondromatosis, and aneurysm. After a diagnostic arthroscopy, the lesion was excised by a limited lateral arthrotomy. The pathologic findings revealed a synovial cyst. Intra-articular synovial cysts are uncommon, nonsymptomatic, and mostly incidental findings on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and arthroscopy. This lateral meniscus synovial cyst (2.5 × 2.5 cm) was enlarged within the intracondylar notch and produced disabling knee symptoms. The peculiarity of this lesion was the tumor-like appearance: its large size, the progress of symptoms, and the multilobulated, nonhomogenous signal on the MRI scan. One year postoperatively, the patient is asymptomatic and the MRI obtained at 6 months revealed no remnant of the fully excised cyst.     

Arthroscopic all-inside repair techniques of lateral meniscus anterior horn tear: a technical note

Although the conventional outside-in technique is especially useful for repairing tears in the anterior portion of the meniscus, it has a disadvantage of making an additional 1–2 cm sized skin incision and tying knots subcutaneously over the capsule. Therefore we devised two all-inside repair techniques of lateral meniscus anterior horn tear according to the site of meniscal tear, meniscosynovial junction or red–red zone. Because these techniques are modified methods of the outside-in meniscal repair using a spinal needle, they are as simple as conventional outside-in technique. In addition they have advantages of vertical mattress suture, which is an important characteristic of the all-inside repair, and no additional incision. We recommend these techniques as an alternative method for repairing an anterior horn tear of the lateral meniscus.     

Functional anatomy and biomechanics of the meniscus

The meniscus is no longer considered the evolutionary remnant in the knee joint.Rather, it is now well established as an important structure that is integral to the complex biomechanics and proper functioning of the knee. The medial and lateral menisci form two crescent-shaped wedges of fibrocartilage between the femoral condyles and tibial plateaus.The knee joint biomechanics are based on a complex interaction of these intra-articular structures. The functions ascribed to the menisci include load transmission, shock absorption, stability, proprioception, joint lubrication, and joint nutrition. Load transmission generally is accepted as one of its primary functions. The menisci transmit a portion of the axial forces across the knee joint by converting this load into “hoop stresses.” This is accomplished by their unique shape, composition, and anatomic attachments. The menisci are relatively mobile structures and their motion during knee flexion also is determined by their shape and soft tissue attachments/constraints. Preservation of the meniscal functions is essential, and the authors review the basic anatomic and biomechanical concepts necessary to understand techniques for repair and restoration of these functions.