Abstract. The lateral ligaments of the ankle composed of the anterior talofibular (ATFL), calcaneofibular (CFL) and posterior talofibular ligaments (PTFL), are amongst the most commonly injured ligaments of the human body. Although treatment methods have been explored exhaustively, healing outcomes remain poor with high rates of re-injury, chronic ankle instability and pain persisting. The introduction and application of tissue engineering methods may target poor healing outcomes and eliminate long-term complications, improving the overall quality of life of affected individuals. For any surgical procedure or tissue-engineered replacement to be successful, a comprehensive understanding of the complete anatomy of the native structure is essential. Knowledge of the dimensions of ligament
Recent studies on animal models focused on the effect of preserving tendon remnant of rotator cuff on tendon healing. A positive effect by combining tendon remnant preservation and small bone vents on the greater tuberosity in comparison with standard tendon-to-bone repair has been shown. The purpose of the present clinical study was to evaluate the efficacy of biologic augmentation of arthroscopic rotator cuff repair by maintaining tendon remnant on rotator cuff
Introduction. The popliteus tendon is a component of the posterolateral corner of the knee, which controls the external rotation of the tibia. In our clinical practice, the femoral
Introduction:. The insertion
Previous studies describing drill trajectory for single incision distal biceps tendon repair suggest aiming ulnar and distal (Lo et al). This suggests that the starting point of the drill would be anterior and radial to the anatomic insertion of the distal biceps tendon. Restoration of the anatomic
Background. Long term success of any shoulder joint reconstruction procedure involving subscapularis attachment take down is dictated by the way one chooses to release and repair/reconstruct the subscapularis insertion. There are several methods that were reported in the literature without any preset guidelines which are easily reproducible. Methods. 5 specimens of fresh cadaver shoulder joints dissected and the subscapularis
Higher re-tear rates after arthroscopic single row rotator cuff repairs have been linked with the inability to restore the native
The extracortical single-button (SB) inlay repair is one of the most preferred distal biceps tendon repair techniques. However, specific complications such as neurovascular injury and non-anatomic repairs have led to the development of techniques that utilize intracortical double-button (DB) fixation. To compare the biomechanical stability of the extracortical SB repair with the anatomical DB repair technique. Controlled laboratory study. The distal biceps tendon was transected in 18 cadaveric elbows from 9 donors. One elbow of each donor was randomly assigned to the extracortical SBor anatomical DB group. Both groups were cyclically loaded with 60N over 1000 cycles between 90° of flexion and full extension. The elbow was then fixed in 90° of flexion and the repair construct loaded to failure. Gap-formation and construct stiffness during cyclic loading, and ultimate load to failure was analysed. After 1000 cycles, the anatomical DB technique compared with the extracortical SB technique showed significantly less gap-formation (mean difference 1.2 mm; p=0.017) and significantly more construct stiffness (mean difference 31 N/mm; p=0.023). Ultimate load to failure was not significantly different comparing both groups (SB, 277 N ±92 vs. DB, 285 N ±135; p=0.859). The failure mode in the anatomical DB group was significantly different compared with the extracortical SB technique (p=0.002) and was due to fracture avulsion of the BicepsButton in 7 out of 9 specimens (vs. none in SB group). Our study shows that the intracortical DB technique produces equivalent or superior biomechanical performance to the SB technique. The DB repair technique reduces the risk of nerve injury and better restores the anatomical
Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction allows overall good results, but there is still a significant rate of failure. It is well accepted that the main reason for ACL reconstruction failure is a misplacement of tibial or femoral tunnels. Conventional techniques rely mainly on surgical skill for intra-operative tunnel placement. It has been demonstrated that, even by experienced surgeons, there was a significant variation in the accuracy of tunnel placement with conventional techniques. Navigation systems might enhance the accuracy of ACL replacement. 10 cadaver knees with intact soft-tissue and without any intra-articular abnormalities were studied. We used a non image based navigation system (OrthoPilot ®, Aesculap, Tuttlingen, FRG). Localizers were fixed on bicortical screws on the distal femur and on the proximal tibia. Both kinematic and anatomic registration of the knee joint were performed by moving the knee joint in flexion-extension and palpating relevant intra- and extra-articular landmarks with a navigated stylus. The most anterior, posterior, medial and lateral point of both tibial and femoral attachment of the ACL were marked with metallic pins. The navigated stylus was positioned on these points, and the system recorded its position in comparison to the bone contours. Subsequently, we performed conventional plain AP and lateral X-rays and a CT-scan, and measured the position of the pins in comparison to the bone contours. Finally, all measurements were made again with a caliper after disarticulating the knee joint. We calculated the center of the
Introduction:. The anterior column of the spine is often destroyed by trauma or disease. It is reconstructed by using autograft, allograft, or synthetic cages. The fibula strut graft provides good strength, incorporates quickly and has less risk of disease transmission, which is a big advantage in communities with high incidence of HIV. Various authors cite that its major drawback is the size of its foot print. We could not find any literature that measures its size. We undertook a study to measure the size of the
Objective: The high incidence of retear following primary rotator cuff tendon (RCT) repair necessitates new strategies for tendon
Patient education programmes prior to hip and knee arthroplasty reduce anxiety and create realistic expectations. While traditionally delivered in-person, the Covid-19 pandemic has necessitated change to remote delivery. We describe a ‘Virtual Joint School’ (VJS) model introduced at Ysbyty Gwynedd, and present patient feedback to it. Eligible patients first viewed online educational videos created by our Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT); and then attended an interactive virtual session where knowledge was reinforced. Each session was attended by 8–10 patients along with a relative/friend; and was hosted by the MDT consisting of nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and a former patient who provided personal insight. Feedback on the VJS was obtained prospectively using an electronic questionnaire. From July 2022 to February 2023, 267 patients attended the VJS; of which 117 (44%) responded to the questionnaire. Among them, 87% found the pre-learning videos helpful and comprehensible, 92% felt their concerns were adequately addressed, 96% felt they had sufficient opportunity to ask questions and 96% were happy with the level of confidentiality involved. While 83% felt they received sufficient support from the health board to access the virtual session, 63% also took support from family/friends to attend it. Only 15% felt that they would have preferred a face-to-face format. Finally, by having ‘virtual’ sessions, each patient saved, on average, 38 miles and 62 minutes travel (10,070 miles and 274 hours saved for 267 patients). Based on the overwhelmingly positive feedback, we recommend implementation of such ‘Virtual Joint Schools’ at other arthroplasty centres as well.
Rotator cuff repair failure may to some extent be attributed to tendon-bone gap formation at the repair sight caused by insufficient suture tightening. We measured the
The rotator cuff is sited on the anatomical neck of the humerus and is formed by the insertion of the supraspinatus (SP), infraspinatus (IS), teres minor (TM) and subscapularis. All play a vital role in the movement of the glenohumeral joint, and the anatomy is of critical importance in arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. We undertook an osteological and gross anatomical dissection study of the insertion mechanism of these tendons, in particular the SP . The SP inserts by a triple or quadruple mechanism. The ‘heel’ (medial) and capsule fuse, inserting into the anatomical neck proximal to the anterior facet of the greater humeral tubercle. The ‘foot arch’ inserts as a strong, flat, fibrous tendon into the facet. This area is cuboidal, rectangular, or ellipsoid, and measures 36 mm2 to 64 mm2. In about 5%, the insertion is fleshy (pitted), rendering it weaker than a tendinous attachment. The ‘toe’ lips over the edge of the facet laterally and fuses with the periosteum, fibres of the inter-transverse ligament and the IS. A proximal ‘hood’ of about 4 mm stretches down inferiorly and fuses with the periosteum of the humeral shaft. The subacromial or subdeltoid synovial bursa are sited laterally. The IS and TM insert into the middle and posterior facets (225 mm and 36 mm2) at respective angles of 80° and 115°. The inferior portion of the TM facet is not fused with the shoulder capsule. The subscapularis inserts broadly into the lesser tubercle, and the superior fibres fuse with the shoulder capsule and intertransverse ligament. The insertion of the subscapularis does not contribute directly to the formation of the ‘hood’, which belongs exclusively to the SP, IP and TM. This study confirms the complexity of the SP insertion and suggests that an unfavourable attachment or biomechanical anatomical malalignment may lead to eventual tendon/cuff degeneration.
The supraspinatus tendon (SP) often ruptures. Gray established that the tendinous insertion always attaches to the highest facet of the greater tubercle of the humerus. Our osteological study of 124 shoulders in men and women between the ages of 35 and 94 years refocuses on the humeral insertion of the SP in relation to infraspinatus (IS) and teres minor (TM). We found type-I SFs (cubic) in 53 shoulders (43%) and type-II SFs (rectangular or oblong) in 21 (17%). Type-III (ellipsoid) SFs were present in 20 shoulders (16%) and type-IV (angulated or sloping) in 11 (9%). SFs were type V (with tuberosity) in 12 shoulders (10%) and type VI (pitted) in three (2%). The facet area of the SP, IP and TM varied from 49 mm, 225 mm and 36mm2. Of the three muscles, the IS facet was consistently the largest (p <
0.05) and shaped rectangularly. The SP inserted in a cubic or rectangular facet format in 75% of people. SP facet-size may relate to tendon strength, degeneration and rupture. This information may contribute to the understanding of tears of the rotator cuff.
This study looks at the dynamic tendon-to-bone contact properties of rotator cuff (RC) repairs—comparing single row repairs (SRR) with double row transosseous- equivalent (TOE) repairs. It was postulated that relaxation during, and movement following, the repair would significantly compromise contact properties and therefore, the ability of the tendon healing. Simulated tears were created in the supraspinatus tendon of six cadaveric human shoulders. A SRR was then performed using the OPUS System, creating two horizontal mattress sutures. An I-Scan electronic pressure-sensor (Tekscan, Boston, MA) was placed between the supraspinatus tendon and bone. The arm was then rested for 300secs (relaxation) before being passively moved twice through a range-of-motion (0-90 degrees abduction, 0-45 external and 0-45 internal rotation) and finally returned to neutral. The contact properties were recorded throughout each movement. The procedure was then repeated using two TOE techniques: parallel sutures (TOE-P) and a cross over suture pattern (TOE-C). While peak pressures during the repair were higher in the two TOE repairs, all three methods demonstrated relaxation over 300s such that there was no significant diference in contact pressures at the end of this time. TOE parallel and cross-over repairs demonstrated no significant change in mean TTB contact pressure, force and area during abduction, external rotation and return to neutral, when compared to the 300sec relaxation state. TOE-C demonstrated a higher contact force on internal rotation (+53%). The SRR demonstrated a significant drop in contact force on abduction (−63%), and return to neutral (−43%) and a trend on external rotation (−34%). SRR exhibited no change on internal rotation. There have been very few biomechanical studies with which observe RC repair contact properties dynamically. Relaxation of the repair can be partially reversed. Significant decrease in contact area with SRR during movement occurred, compared to the TOE repairs, which remains unaltered. This is an important consideration when determining postoperative rehabilitation.
Introduction. The health sector contributes the equivalent of 4.4% of global net emissions to the climate carbon
Olecranon plates used for the internal fixation of complex olecranon fractures are applied directly over the triceps tendon on the posterior aspect of the olecranon. The aim of the study is to describe the relationship of the plates and screws to the triceps tendon at the level of the olecranon. Eight cadaveric elbows were used. Dimensions of the triceps tendon at the insertion and 1cm proximal were measured. A long or a short olecranon plate was then applied over the olecranon and the most proximal screw applied. The length of the plate impinging on the tendon and the level of the screw tract on the tendon and bone were measured. The mean olecranon height was 24.3cm (22.4-26.9cm) with a tip-to-tendon distance of 14.5cm (11.9-16.2cm). The triceps tendon
Aims. In the UK, the NHS generates an estimated 25 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents (4% to 5% of the nation’s total carbon emissions) and produces over 500,000 tonnes of waste annually. There is limited evidence demonstrating the principles of sustainability and its benefits within orthopaedic surgery. The primary aim of this study was to analyze the environmental impact of orthopaedic surgery and the environmentally sustainable initiatives undertaken to address this. The secondary aim of this study was to describe the barriers to making sustainable changes within orthopaedic surgery. Methods. A literature search was performed according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines through EMBASE, Medline, and PubMed libraries using two domains of terms: “orthopaedic surgery” and “environmental sustainability”. Results. A total of 13 studies were included in the final analysis. All papers studied the environmental impact of orthopaedic surgery in one of three areas: waste management, resource consumption, and carbon emissions. Waste segregation was a prevalent issue and described by nine studies, with up to 74.4% of hazardous waste being generated. Of this, six studies reported recycling waste and up to 43.9% of waste per procedure was recyclable. Large joint arthroplasties generated the highest amount of recyclable waste per procedure. Three studies investigated carbon emissions from intraoperative consumables, sterilization methods, and through the use of telemedicine. One study investigated water wastage and demonstrated that simple changes to practice can reduce water consumption by up to 63%. The two most common barriers to implementing environmentally sustainable changes identified across the studies was a lack of appropriate infrastructure and lack of education and training. Conclusion. Environmental sustainability in orthopaedic surgery is a growing area with a wide potential for meaningful change. Further research to cumulatively study the carbon