Combined Open-Anterolateral Ligament and Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction of the Knee: The "Open-ALL".

The addition of an extra-articular reinforcement, such as the anterolateral ligament (ALL) or a Lemaire's procedure, in anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions has shown good clinical results, with greater graft protection and a lower rerupture rate. Despite being a reproducible procedure, its application in cases of large, muscled knees or in obese patients can be challenging. This Technical Note describes the "Open-ALL" technique, using a mini-open approach for a combined anterior cruciate ligament and ALL reconstruction.

Biomaterials for meniscus and cartilage in knee surgery: state of the art.

Meniscus and cartilage injuries of the knee joint lead to cartilage degeneration and osteoarthritis (OA). The research on biomaterials and artificial implants as substitutes in reconstruction and regeneration has become a main international focus in order to solve clinical problems such as irreparable meniscus injury, postmeniscectomy syndrome, osteochondral lesions and generalised chronic OA. In this review, we provide a summary of biomaterials currently used in clinical practice as well as state-of-the-art tissue engineering strategies and technologies that are developed for articular cartilage and meniscus repair and regeneration.

Biomechanical Characterization of Ascending Aortic Aneurysms.

Ascending thoracic aortic aneurysms (ATAAs) are a silent disease, ultimately leading to dissection or rupture of the arterial wall. There is a growing consensus that diameter information is insufficient to assess rupture risk, whereas wall stress and strength provide a more reliable estimate. The latter parameters cannot be measured directly and must be inferred through biomechanical assessment, requiring a thorough knowledge of the mechanical behaviour of the tissue.