Objective: To assess the possible effect of intra-articular steroid injections to future TKA.

Materials-Method: We retrospectively studied all 231 patients who underwent AGC (Biomet) TKR in our hospital from February 2002 to October 2004. Twenty notes were not available in medical records and were excluded from the study. Other exclusion criteria were previous surgery (other than knee arthroscopy) on the affected site, a diagnosis of inflammatory arthritis, immunosu-pressed patients, a previous history of infection around the knee, smoking, diabetic patients. Applying these criteria we excluded a further sixty-seven patients.

The remaining 144 patients were separated in to two groups. Group I (n=54) consisted of those patients that received one or more recorded I/A steroid injections in their operated knee in an orthopaedic clinic, rheumatology clinic or general practice setting prior to surgery. Group II (n=90) consisted of those patients with no record of receiving an I/A steroid injection prior to surgery.

Results: We found that all the deep infections (3) were from Group I and had received an I/A steroid injection up to 11 months prior to surgery. The incidence of superficial infection was not significantly different from the control group (Group II).

In addition to those patients with confirmed deep infections, five patients underwent post-operative investigations for suspected deep infection, due to symptoms of persistent swelling or pain. All had received an I/A steroid injection pre-operatively.

The length of time between injection and subsequent post-operative infection leads us to speculate that the steroid agent might not fully dissolve, becoming trapped within the soft tissues or cystic areas of degeneration in the knee joint. Such steroids may become re-activated during operation, leading to catastrophic results. Indeed, there is experimental evidence to suggest an increased risk of infection with the intra-operative administration of steroids.

Conclusion: We conclude that the decision to administer intra-articular steroids to a patient who may be a candidate for knee replacement surgery should not be taken lightly because of a risk of post operative deep infection.

A randomised controlled trial was performed to compare the clinical outcome for the two commonest types of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Methods: Patients undergoing elective anterior cruciate reconstruction were randomised into one of two groups. Group PT underwent reconstruction using a patella tendon autograft (n=14), whereas Group SG had a semitendinosus/gracilis autograft (n=18). The same surgeon performed all operations. IKDC self reported function and activity scores were recorded pre-operatively and at one and five years post operation. KT1000 values and muscle strength were recorded pre-operatively and one year post operation.

Results: No significant difference between groups was found for any measurement at one year despite adequate study power. At five year follow up patients in the PT group had superior scores in every category of the IKDC self reported function score (mean IKDC score for PT group = 83, mean IKDC score for SG = 75). The activities of squatting and kneeling revealed the greatest difference between groups. It was found that 71% of patients in the PT group achieved IKDC scores of 80 or over whereas only 61% of patients in the SG group achieved 1 KDC scores of 80 or over.

Conclusion: The study indicates that both techniques produce acceptable outcome for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction but use of the patella tendon autograft may provide slightly more favourable results, especially for activities involving squatting and kneeling.

Aim: This study was designed to investigate the nature and extent of tibial translation (TT) during open kinetic chain (OKC) and closed kinetic chain (CKC) activity; recent reports have suggested that the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) may be strained to an equal amount during CKC and OKC exercise.

Method: Fifteen unilaterally ACL deficient (ACLD) patients and six control subjects underwent fluoroscopic assessment while performing a passive extension exercise, an OKC resisted extension exercise, and a weight-bearing CKC exercise designed to reflect knee motion experienced during dynamic daily activity. Measurements of the patella tendon angle (the angle between the long axis of the tibia and the patella tendon) were obtained to calculate relative TT.

Results: The results show that in ACL intact (ACLI) knees the CKC exercise caused greater anterior TT than the OKC exercise from 0 to 60° of knee flexion (p< 0.05). No difference between ACLI and ACLD knees was detected during the CKC exercise. Maximum weight-bearing (CKC) TT was 8±3 mm. The ACLD tibia during the OKC exercise translated more than the ACLI tibia, and to the same extent as the CKC exercise at 10 to 200 of knee flexion. The ACLI tibia during OKC exercise translated to a maximum of 3±4 mm at 1 0° knee flexion.

Summary: This study has demonstrated that fluoroscopic analysis may be used to detect differences in the kinematics of ACLI and ACLD limbs during activity. It validates recent data demonstrating that the ACL may be strained during CKC exercise to an equal or greater amount than during OKC exercise, and shows that the ACLD knee kinematics are similar to the ACLI knee during CKC exercise. Factors other than the ACL may control the extent of maximal TT during weightbearing activity. This has important consequences for the development of rehabilitation regimes after ACL reconstruction. The commonly held assumption that CKC exercise will protect an ACL graft may not be valid.