Arthroscopic suture-fixation of anterior tibial intercondylar eminence fractures by retensioning of the ACL and hollowing of the tibial footprint: Objective and subjective clinical results in a paediatric population.

Introduction: Anterior tibial intercondylar eminence fractures (ATIEF) of the knee are rare in children. They are associated with prefracture intraligamental distention of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the subjective and objective clinical results of an arthroscopic surgical technique by suture-fixation of the fracture and tensioning of the ACL through hollowing of the tibial footprint.

Hypothesis: Suture-tensioning of ATIEF arthroscopically helps to achieve treatment objectives by leaving the knee joint free of any hardware.

Materials And Methods: This single-operator monocentric retrospective study involved twenty children operated on over a period of 2-years and 10 months, from March 2013, and with a minimum of one-year follow-up. Surgery was indicated for Stage II to IV fractures according to the Meyers and McKeever classification. Type I fractures were excluded. Seventeen out of 20 patients were reviewed. The median age was 12 years at the time of surgery and the mean follow-up was 28 months. The fractures were 5 of stage II, 9 of III and 3 of IV. The scores of Lysholm, objective and subjective IKDC were collected. Residual objective laxity was measured using the GNRB arthrometer at 150N. A standard X-ray evaluation permitted detection of possible growth disorders.

Results: At 28 months of mean follow-up, the mean scores of Lysholm and subjective IKDC were 99 (95; 100) and 97 (92; 100), respectively. As for the objective IKDC, 14 knees were rated A and 3 were rated B. The mean differential residual laxity via GNRB was 0.94mm (0; 2.4). No radiological growth disorder was observed at the last follow-up.

Conclusion: The ACL suture-tensioning technique is simple and reliable. It also preserves the joint of the adult to remain free of any residual hardware.

Level Of Evidence: IV; retrospective cohort study.