Meniscus tear developed by pulling of the anomalous insertion of medial meniscus on anterior cruciate ligament

There is no report regarding a medial meniscus tear arising from an anomalous insertion of medial meniscus on the ACL, which seemed to be developed by the same mechanism as ACL tear. A case of a combined medial meniscus tear with ACL tear in the presence of an anomalous insertion of the medial meniscus on the ACL is reported

Evaluation of subsidence, chondrocyte survival and graft incorporation following autologous osteochondral transplantation

Contains fulltext : 95878.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate subsidence tendency, surface congruency, chondrocyte survival and plug incorporation after osteochondral transplantation in an animal model. The potential benefit of precise seating of the transplanted osteochondral plug on the recipient subchondral host bone ('bottoming') on these parameters was assessed in particular. METHODS: In 18 goats, two osteochondral autografts were harvested from the trochlea of the ipsilateral knee joint and inserted press-fit in a standardized articular cartilage defect in the medial femoral condyle. In half of the goats, the transplanted plugs were matched exactly to the depth of the recipient hole (bottomed plugs; n = 9), whereas in the other half of the goats, a gap of 2 mm was left between the plugs and the recipient bottom (unbottomed plugs; n = 9). After 6 weeks, all transplants were evaluated on gross morphology, subsidence, histology, and chondrocyte vitality. RESULTS: The macroscopic morphology scored significantly higher for surface congruency in bottomed plugs as compared to unbottomed reconstructions (P = 0.04). However, no differences in histological subsidence scoring between bottomed and unbottomed plugs were found. The transplanted articular cartilage of both bottomed and unbottomed plugs was vital. Only at the edges some matrix destaining, chondrocyte death and cluster formation was observed. At the subchondral bone level, active remodeling occurred, whereas integration at the cartilaginous surface of the osteochondral plugs failed to occur. Subchondral cysts were found in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: In this animal model, subsidence tendency was significantly lower after 'bottomed' versus 'unbottomed' osteochondral transplants on gross appearance, whereas for histological scoring no significant differences were encountered. Since the clinical outcome may be negatively influenced by subsidence, the use of 'bottomed' grafts is recommended for osteochondral transplantation in patients

Session 17 Ecophysiology

n/

Management of big osteochondral defects of the knee using osteochondral allografts with the MEGA-OATS technique

Abstract Treatment of osteochondral defects in weight-bearing areas of the knee, especially when they are sizeable and involve considerable subchondral bone loss, is a challenging problem. We report our experience on the use of osteochondral allografts with the MEGA-OATS technique in the management of large osteochondral defects of the knee in young patients. Five patients (3 male and 2 female) were included in this study; their age ranged from 22 to 41 years and the mean size of the defect covered was 30Â30 mm. They were followed for a minimum of 2.5 years (mean: 32.8 months, range 30-36). An age-and size-matched fresh frozen, non-irradiated distal femoral allograft was used to obtain the donor plug, which was then inserted in the recipient area in a press-fit fashion. Patients' Lysholm knee score increased from 37.8 pre-operatively to 73.8 post-operatively. Tegner activity score increased in all five patients; it improved from a mean of 2 pre-operatively (range 1-3) to 4 post-operatively (range 2-7). Four out of five patients returned to work and three went back to sporting activities. With this technique one can cover sizeable osteochondral defects, and compensate for significant subchondral bone loss, while accurate reconstruction of the curvature of the femoral condyle is allowed. We believe that it is a viable salvage option in young patients with big osteochondral defects of the knee. It offers very satisfactory functional results and does not compromise patients' future options.