Between March 1987 and March 1997, we performed a modified Thompson quadricepsplasty on 20 stiff knees and followed the patients for a mean of 35 months (24 to 52). After the operation, the knee was immobilised in flexion and periodically extended. At the final follow-up, the mean active flexion was 113.5° (75 to 150). The final mean gain in movement was 67.6° (5 to 105). One patient had a deep infection which resolved after wound care and intravenous antibiotics. The modified Thompson quadricepsplasty with appropriate postoperative care can give good results

In a group of 25 patients with traumatic dislocation of the knee, four, all of whom had similar ligament and medial soft-tissue injuries, also had associated lateral patellar dislocation. In all four reconstruction was delayed because of their other serious injuries. Having encountered the combination of knee dislocation and lateral patellar dislocation in 16% of our patients, we believe that it may be less rare than is commonly believed. We think that it is important to maintain a high index of suspicion of possible patellar dislocation when medial structures have been severely damaged. Early recognition and immobilisation in extension can prevent fixed lateral dislocation of the patella

The accurate assessment of compartmental involvement in degenerative arthritis of the knee is important when planning operative treatment. Standard radiographic techniques often fail to define the degree of involvement of the less affected tibiofemoral compartment. The use of stress radiography in the preoperative assessment of 30 knees with degenerative arthritis is described and the radiographic findings correlated with the changes found at arthrotomy

1. Methods of correcting flexion contractures of the knee following poliomyelitis fail if posterior subluxation of the tibia is allowed to occur. 2. Careful serial manipulations will give straight, congruous joints in younger patients. Posterior capsulotomy does not facilitate correction. 3. Supracondylar femoral osteotomy is indicated in children over fifteen and in adults, although sometimes arthrodesis of the knee is necessary

1. An analysis of 171 cases of compression arthrodesis in the knee is presented. 2. A total success rate of 98·8 per cent was revealed. 3. The average time between operation and walking free of splintage was nine weeks. 4. When the compression was removed, after an average period of four weeks, 88·2 per cent of the knees already showed clinical union

1. High tibial osteotomy-above the tibial tubercle-gives good results in elderly patients disabled by arthritis of the knee. 2. A technique of operation is described in which fixation is secured by four pins gripped in compression clamps. 3. No other fixation is needed, and knee movements and walking are encouraged within a few days of operation. 4. The early results warrant further trial of the method

We studied the complications after open-wedge osteotomy by hemicallotasis in 308 consecutive patients, most of whom had osteoarthritis of the knee. The participating surgeons, who worked at 17 hospitals, used their discretion in selecting patients, operating techniques and external fixators. The general complications included 11 cases of deep-vein thrombosis (4%), six of nonunion (2%) and one of septic arthritis of the knee. There were technical complications in 13 patients (4%). In 157 patients (51%) pin-site infections were recorded; of these, 96% were minor and responded to wound toilet and antibiotic treatment. A total of 18 revision procedures was carried out

1. If osteoarthritis of the knee is confined mainly to one tibio-femoral compartment and the range of flexion is 90 degrees or more it can be treated safely and reliably by proximal tibial osteotomy. 2. The operation relieves pain in a large proportion of cases while retaining a useful range of knee flexion. We are grateful to Miss H. M. Briggs, Research Secretary at Harlow Wood Orthopaedic Hospital, for secretarial assistance

A retrospective review of 50 knees in 46 patients treated by arthroscopic removal of chondral flaps is reported. There was a relationship between the site of the flap and the type of symptoms; patellofemoral flaps produced anterior knee pain, posterior condylar flaps produced instability. At review after 18 to 36 months, after a second arthroscopy in eight cases, 44 of the 50 knees had retained significant improvement and 33 were symptom-free

The clinical and radiological features of 12 knees (10 patients) with congenital absence of the anterior cruciate ligament are presented. The high frequency of this condition in association with other more easily recognised congenital abnormalities of the knee is discussed. It is concluded that congenital absence of the anterior cruciate ligament is more common than generally suspected and is associated with other developmental abnormalities of both bone and soft tissue in the lower limb, particularly around the knee joint

Fifty patients who underwent a MacIntosh repair for anterolateral instability of the knee have been reviewed after a mean follow-up of two and a quarter years. The repair abolished a positive anterolateral jerk test in 42 out of 50 knees and at the time of review 37 patients (74 per cent) were involved in some form of active sport, having regained functional and clinical stability. The MacIntosh repair is described in detail and the importance of excluding meniscal lesions as the main cause of instability is emphasised

A method of repair for anteromedial rotatory instability of the knee is described and the results of operations on 36 knees reviewed. Complete static correction occurred in 30 of these patients (84 per cent), three patients showed improvement (8 per cent) and three showed no improvement (8 per cent). Although the operation was not reliable as a correction for valgus instability, it did not increase this instability. This operation may be combined with other procedures to correct all instabilities or problems of the knee

1. Eight patients are described in whom the patellae subluxated laterally on every extension of the knee. This is an unusual type of recurrent subluxation. It may recover completely, or remain symptom-free for many years, or increase in severity so that the patient seeks treatment for relief of pain and joint effusion, or progress to frank dislocation. 2. Each patient was examined and the probable causes were analysed. The bayonet deformity was present in twelve of the sixteen knees. A new observation is made on the relationship of tibial crest and tubercle in this condition

1 . Criticisms are expressed of previous reports on the use of intra-articular injections in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee. 2. A series of 181 patients with primary osteoarthritis of the knee treated by certain intra-articular injections is reported. Three solutions in common use were studied; normal saline and mock injections served as controls. 3. Irrespective of the injection used, including the controls, no significant difference in the effects was demonstrated in the results. 4. The place of intra-articular injection therapy in osteoarthritis is discussed. Attention is drawn to the psychological implications

We studied 37 patients with varus osteoarthritis of the knee to determine the influence of the bone mineral density (BMD) on the varus deformity. There were 15 men (21 knees) and 22 women (38 knees). The mean age of the men was 69 years and of the women 68 years. BMD was measured in the L1–L4 spinal region using dual X-ray absorptiometry. In the women a low level of BMD was associated with varus deformity originating at the proximal tibia, but a high level was predominantly linked with deformity originating in the joint space. Similar findings were obtained in the men. Our results suggest that a low BMD predisposes to trabecular microfractures and consequently increased stress on the articular cartilage. A low BMD does not preclude osteoarthritic change in the knee

For the purpose of investigating the effect of an insole with a lateral wedge, we studied 30 patients (31 knees) aged from 46 to 78 years with idiopathic osteonecrosis of the knee for at least three years. The 18 knees treated with an insole (group I) were matched by age, gender, obesity index, area of lesion, femorotibial angle, stage, and clinical evaluation with 13 treated conservatively without an insole (group II). The clinical results, as rated by a knee score, improved significantly more in group I than in group II. Radiologically, the necrotic area and ratio decreased in group I, whereas in group II they increased. In advanced cases, with stage 4 or a femorotibial angle of more than 180°, the use of an insole did not improve the clinical or radiological findings. The insole is a valuable method of conservative treatment for the early stages of osteonecrosis of the medial femoral condyle

We prospectively studied the clinical, arthroscopic and histological results of collagen-covered autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI-C) in patients with symptomatic osteochondritis dissecans of the knee. The study included 37 patients who were evaluated at a mean follow-up of 4.08 years. Clinical results showed a mean improvement in the modified Cincinnati score from 46.1 to 68.4. Excellent and good clinical results were seen in 82.1% of those with juvenile-onset osteochondritis dissecans but in only 44.4% of those with adult-onset disease. Arthroscopy at one year revealed International Cartilage Repair Society grades of 1 or 2 in 21 of 24 patients (87.5%). Of 23 biopsies, 11 (47.8%) showed either a hyaline-like or a mixture of hyaline-like and fibrocartilage, 12 (52.2%) showed fibrocartilage. The age at the time of ACI-C determined the clinical outcome for juvenile-onset disease (p = 0.05), whereas the size of the defect was the major determinant of outcome in adult-onset disease (p = 0.01)

To investigate the effect of instability on the remodelling of a minor articular surface offset, we created a 0.5 mm coronal step-off of the medial femoral condyle in 12 New Zealand white rabbits and transected the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). A control group of 12 rabbits had only ACL resection and the opposite knee was used as the non-operated control. The osteoarthritic changes at 6, 12 and 24 weeks after surgery were evaluated histologically. In addition, changes in the immunological detection of 3-B-3(-) and 7-D-4 chondroitin-6-sulphate epitopes were determined because of the previous association of such changes with repair of cartilage and early osteoarthritis. In the instability/step-off group there was rapidly progressing focal degeneration of cartilage on the high side of the defect, not seen in previous step-off studies in stable knees. The rest of the femoral condyles and the tibial plateaux of the instability/step-off group had moderate osteoarthritis similar to that of the instability group. 3-B-3(-) was detectable in the early and the intermediate stages of osteoarthritis but no staining was seen in the severely damaged cartilage zones. Immunoreactivity with 7-D-4 increased as degeneration progressed. Our findings have shown that even a minor surface offset may induce rapid degeneration of cartilage when the stability of the knee is compromised

We report 60 synovectomies of the knee in 51 children with juvenile chronic arthritis. Synovitis had been present for an average of 5 years and the average age at operation was 13 years. Results were evaluated in terms of pain, knee movement, relapse of synovitis and radiological change during a follow-up averaging 7.5 years. The relief of pain was rewarding and there was a slight postoperative gain in range of knee movement in most cases. The older the patient at onset of disease, the greater the risk of pain during follow-up. Progressive joint destruction was more common in younger patients, those with systemic or polyarticular disease, and those with highly active disease at the time of operation. Recurrence of synovitis was more frequent in patients who had their operation in a phase of high disease activity; this occurred most often in patients with polyarticular disease