Estimating Lengths of Semitendinosus and Gracilis Tendons by Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Purpose: To determine whether preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can help predict the tendon-only length of the semitendinosus (ST) and the gracilis (G).

Methods: The distance from the tibial insertion to the distal-most aspect of the musculotendinous junction (MTJ) of the ST and G was estimated on preoperative MRI scans of patients undergoing primary anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction with single-bundle, quadruple-stranded hamstring autograft. This MRI tendon-only length, measured by a musculoskeletal radiologist blinded to surgical findings, was compared to the actual tendon-only length measured upon harvesting each tendon.

Intra-tunnel fixation versus extra-tunnel fixation of hamstring anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: a meta-analysis.

Hamstring anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstructions fixed inside both bone tunnels have a shorter initial working length, and thus should be stiffer than those fixed outside both bone tunnels. We used meta-analysis to compare 4-stranded hamstring ACL reconstructions using the 2 fixation methods with reconstructions using patellar tendon autografts. A Medline database search of English-language articles published through June 2004 yielded 36 studies that met the inclusion criteria: 5 intratunnel fixation studies (569 patients), 10 extra-tunnel fixation studies (604 patients), and 24 patellar tendon studies (1592 patients).

Classification of anterosuperior glenoid labrum variants and their association with shoulder pathology.

Unlabelled: This prospective study of 367 consecutive shoulder arthroscopies assessed variants of the anterosuperior glenoid labrum and associated shoulder pathology. Thirty-three shoulders were excluded because of prior surgery, septic arthritis, or adhesive capsulitis. Anterosuperior glenoid variants were classified as: type I, cordlike middle glenohumeral ligament without sublabral foramen; type II, sublabral foramen without a cordlike middle glenohumeral ligament; type III, sublabral foramen with a cordlike middle glenohumeral ligament; and type IV, absent anterosuperior labrum with the anterior aspect of the superior labrum continuous with a cordlike middle glenohumeral ligament.

Arthroscopic findings in knees undergoing proximal tibial osteotomy.

This study determines the occurrence of significant, arthroscopically correctable intraarticular pathology at the time of valgus-producing high tibial osteotomy for symptomatic medial compartment arthrosis with varus malalignment. Thirty consecutive patients (32 knees) scheduled for the procedure underwent concomitant knee arthroscopy. In the lateral compartment, meniscal tears occurred in 16 knees (50%), unstable chondral flaps in 4 knees (13%), and loose bodies in 3 knees (9%).

Deep venous thrombosis after knee arthroscopy: a meta-analysis.

Purpose: To better establish the incidence of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) after knee arthroscopy without prophylaxis.

Type Of Study: Meta-analysis.

Methods: A MEDLINE search was performed to find published English-language studies of DVT following knee arthroscopy.

Cyclic testing of arthroscopic knot security.

Purpose: Arthroscopic soft tissue repairs undergo many cycles of tensioning and relaxation before significant tissue healing occurs, and knot security under cyclic loads is essential for good results after these repairs. The current study was designed to assess the security of arthroscopic knots under stepwise cyclic loading.

Type Of Study: In vitro materials testing.

Anatomic and radiographic analysis of arthroscopic tack placement into the anteroinferior glenoid.

Tack location within the anteroinferior aspect of the glenoid when performing simulated repairs of anteroinferior capsulolabral avulsions (Bankart lesions) was evaluated anatomically and radiographically. Arthroscopy was performed on six fresh-frozen cadaveric shoulders, and bioabsorbable tacks were placed through an accessory anteroinferior portal coming into the joint just above the subscapularis tendon using an outside-in technique. Tack location was studied after removal of all soft tissues.

Quadriceps tendon impingement from a femoral interference screw.

Interference screws are a popular method of securing tendon grafts during anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. This report describes the case of a patient with anterior knee pain, limited flexion, and partial-thickness tear of the quadriceps tendon caused by a protruding femoral interference screw following hamstring tendon anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. The interference screw was radiolucent, requiring magnetic resonance imaging to visualize its location.

Variants of the anterosuperior glenoid labrum and associated pathology.

Purpose: The study goal was to determine the incidence of the sublabral foramen and the Buford complex and to assess their association with superior labral pathology.

Type Of Study: Prospective case series.

Methods: The surgical findings of 108 consecutive shoulder arthroscopies performed by the same surgeon were collected, along with patient demographics.