All-arthroscopic AMIC® (AT-AMIC) for the treatment of talar osteochondral defects

Category: Arthroscopy Introduction/Purpose: Various operative procedures have been used to treat osteochondral lesions of the talus. Among the new alternatives to treat these lesions, Autologous Matrix-Induced Chondrogenesis (AMIC®) has proven to provide satisfactory results through medium-term follow-up. The aim of this study is to report early post-operative clinical results of patients submitted to the AT-AMIC® technique and autologous bone graft, when necessary, for OLT’s at a six-month minimum follow-up. Methods: This is case series of 17 consecutive patients that were submitted to AT-AMIC®, between january of 2016 and april of 2017. 9 men and 8 women, between 15 and 67 years were diagnosed with OLTs with the typical history of deep ankle pain and corresponding magnetic resonance imaging injury. Surgery was proposed only after failure of conservative treatment of at least 3 months. Surgeries were performed by three different surgeons, with high arthroscopic experience. Patients answered the AOFAS score preoperatively and at the last follow-up, ranging from 6 to 18 months Results: Average size of OLTs were 1,12 cm2, with Raikin 4 location being the most common (70,5%). Calcaneal osteotomy was the most common associated procedure, with 17,6%. Average follow-up was 10,76 months. Average AOFAS before surgery was 46,35, increasing to 89,53 at the last follow-up. This difference was statistically significant with a p-value of <0,001. No complications were observed and no changes in the post-operative protocol were needed. Conclusion: AT-AMIC® is a reliable and reproducible method of treatment for OLTs, reaching high clinical postoperative scores, with a very low rate of complications. Further comparative study is needed to prove its efficacy

Planejamento pré-operatório de correção de deformidades supramaleolares através de impressão 3D

3D printed models have been explored deeply in the medical field, standing out as an important aid tool for surgical planning. The authors present a case report of a patient with post-traumatic arthrosis of the right ankle, who underwent supramaleolar osteotomy, using a medial closure wedge. This surgery was performed after operative planning by 3D printing, which can demonstrate the reproducibility of this method.Modelos impressos em 3D têm sido explorados profundamente no campo médico, destacando-se como importante ferramenta de auxílio para planejamento cirúrgico. Os autores apresentam relato de caso de um paciente, com artrose pós-traumática do tornozelo direito, submetido a osteotomia supramaleolar, em cunha de fechamento medial. Esta cirurgia foi realizada após planejamento operatório por impressão 3D, o que pode demonstrar reprodutibilidade deste método

Isokinetic functional outcomes of open versus percutaneous repair following Achilles tendon tears

Category: Sports Introduction/Purpose: Rupture of the Achilles Tendon (AT) is frequent in young recreational athletes. Conservative management, open surgery and percutaneous/minimally invasive approaches are all advocated, and conflicting data are available. This study compared functional and anthropometric outcomes of patients who underwent open or percutaneous repair. Methods: A retrospective comparative study, in which 38 patients underwent open and percutaneous techniques to manage AT ruptures. For functional assessment, the calf circumference of both injured and uninjured legs was evaluated. Isokinetic testing included total plantar flexion work, peak plantar flexion torque, total dorsiflexion work peak and dorsiflexion torque. The Achilles Tendon Rupture Score (ATRS) and the America Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Score (AOFAS) were evaluated at a final minimum follow-up of 12 months. Results: No major complications were observed. The average time to return to sport was 9 months. AOFAS and ATRS values did not differ statistically between groups. Isokinetic variables and circumference were similar in the operated and non-operated limb in both groups, and did not differ either when comparing open and percutaneous repair. Conclusion: Open and percutaneous repair of a torn Achilles tendon produced similar functional outcomes

Early Postoperative Results of Endoscopic Transfer of Flexor Hallucis Longus for Chronic Achilles Rupture

Category: Ankle, Arthroscopy, Hindfoot Introduction/Purpose: Background Achilles tendon chronic rupture lead to proximal retraction of the tendon and have a greater tendency to show poorer functional outcomes than acute ruptures. Numerous surgical procedures have been described to treat this pathology. The transfer of the flexor hallucis longus is a well-established treatment option, usually performed as an open procedure. The aim of this paper is to report a case series of six patients with chronic Achilles tendon rupture treated with endoscopic transfer of FHL. Methods: Six patients with Achilles tendon chronic injuries or re-ruptures were treated with endoscopic FHL transfer. There were four man and two women, average of 50 years, with four left and two right tendons involved, and no bilateral cases. All lesions were at zone 2 (between 2-6 cm proximal to insertion). We describe the surgical technique and report our results at an average of a nine-month follow-up. Results: The average follow-up of the series was 9 months (range, 5–12 months). Three patients had an associate procedure at the Achilles tendon to repair the pre-existent gap, using a minimally invasive technique. On average, we expend 56 minutes to perform the surgery, ranging from 45 to 70 minutes. All patients had a major increase in ATRS score values postoperatively, with an average of 17.8 preoperatively and 83,3 postoperatively No major complications or wound healing problems were noted. Tiptoe stance was possible for all patients without limitation. None of the patients noticed functional weakness of the hallux during daily life activity. Conclusion: Endoscopic FLH transfer is a reliable option for patients with higher skin risk and soft tissue complications. Other studies are needed to compare this technique with the open procedure, gold standard by now, to ensure its safety and efficacy

Does Foot Position and Local of Measurement Influence on Ankle Medial Clear Space?

Category: Ankle, Sports, Trauma Introduction/Purpose: The ankle Medial Clear Space (MCS) is frequently used in foot and ankle surgery for determining the competence of the deltoid ligament in Weber B ankle fractures. A widened MCS indicates deltoid ligament incompetence, requiring surgery to prevent lateral talar shift. Controversy still exists regarding Medial Clear Space (MCS) normal and abnormal values, and its possible variation in previously uncontrolled biases. Sex, height, foot position, and type of radiograph were all described as possible influencing factors. The objective of this study was to access how much different degrees of plantar flexion, all performed with and without stress, influence on MCS width. Methods: We submitted 30 volunteers to six different anteroposterior non-weight bearing digital radiographs of the ankle in the following positions: neutral, neutral with external rotation stress, physiologic plantar flexion (FPF), physiologic plantar flexion with external rotation stress, maximum plantar flexion (MPF) and maximum plantar flexion with external rotation stress. The medial clear space MCS oblique (MCSo) and perpendicular (MCSp) were measured in all images by an experienced foot and ankle surgeon. Results: The data analysis showed with statically significance that the position of the foot does influence in the value of both MCSp and MCSo (p<0,05), regardless of three exceptions. MCSo does not change statistically between FPF with stress and MPF with stress. On the other hand, MCSp did not change in two situations: between FPF and Neutral with stress and between MPF and FPF with stress. It is noteworthy that MCSo, on average, was 15% wider than MCSp in all positions tested. It is also noticeable that, from the neutral position, plantar flexing the ankle has a great impact on MCS than external rotation stress, increasing MCSp by 25% and 22% respectively. MCSo follows the same pattern, with 21% and 17% respectively. Conclusion: This study is unique on showing that many different ways of positioning the foot and making stress radiographs do result in completely different MCS values, and that these values differ depending on the anatomical site they are measured. All these data indicates that we need to establish a gold standard for measuring MCS, taking into account patient sex, height, local of measurement of MCS, position of the foot and type of radiograph (AP or Mortise). This study was not able to address all variables that influence directly on MCS and therefore did not intended to establish this new gold standard

Reliability of Baropodometry on the Evaluation of Plantar Load Distribution: A Transversal Study

Introduction. Baropodometry is used to measure the load distribution on feet during rest and walking. The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in plantar foot pressures distribution due to period of working and due to stretching exercises of the posterior muscular chain. Methods. In this transversal study, all participants were submitted to baropodometric evaluation at two different times: before and after the working period and before and after stretching the muscles of the posterior chain. Results. We analyzed a total of 54 feet of 27 participants. After the working period, there was an average increase in the forefoot pressure of 0.16 Kgf/cm2 and an average decrease in the hindfoot pressure of 0.17 Kgf/cm2. After stretching the posterior muscular chain, the average increase in the forefoot pressure was 0.56 Kgf/cm2 and the hindfoot average pressure decrease was 0.56 Kgf/cm2. These changes were not statistically significant. Discussion. It was reported that the strength of the Achilles tendon generates greater forefoot load transferred from the hindfoot. In our study, no significant variation in the distribution of plantar pressure was observed. It can be inferred that baropodometry was a reliable instrument to determine the plantar pressure, regardless of the tension of the posterior chain muscles