Stuart, Michael J.

AbstractPurposeThere is limited data comparing the outcomes of knee arthroplasty for arthritis secondary to meniscus root tear versus primary osteoarthritis. The aim of this 2:1 matched case control series was to compare outcomes in patients who underwent arthroplasty for arthritis following a meniscus root tear (root tear cohort—“RTC”) with a control group of patients with primary osteoarthritis (primary osteoarthritis—“controls”). The authors hypothesized that the meniscus root tear patients would have similar clinical outcomes, return to activity, complication and reoperation rates as their matched controls.MethodsA consecutive series of patients who had a clinically and radiographically confirmed meniscus root tear between 2002 and 2017 at a mean 4.8 year follow‐up that developed secondary arthritis were matched 2:1 by laterality, surgery, age at surgery, date of surgery, sex, and surgeon to a control group of patients with primary osteoarthritis, without a root tear, who underwent arthroplasty. No patients were lost to follow‐up. Patient demographics, Kellgren–Lawrence grades at the time of surgery, pre‐ and post‐operative Knee Society Score pain and function scores, Tegner score, complications, and survival free of reoperation were analyzed between groups.ResultsA total of 225 subjects were identified, including 75 root tear cohort patients (13 UKA, 62 TKA) and 150 control patients. The root tear cohort had significantly lower Kellgren–Lawrence grades than the control group at the time of arthroplasty (p ≤ 0.001), but similar baseline pre‐operative Knee Society Score pain, Knee Society Score function, and Tegner activity scale score. Post‐operatively, Knee Society Score pain scores were comparable, and root tear cohort Knee Society Score function scores statistically significantly improved (p ≤ 0.007). Complication rates and survival free of reoperation at final follow‐up were not statistically significantly different between groups.ConclusionPatients treated with arthroplasty for secondary arthritis after a meniscus root tear demonstrated less severe radiographic arthritis, but similar pre‐operative pain levels compared to matched controls with primary osteoarthritis. The root tear cohort patients demonstrated improved outcomes with respect to function, and similar outcomes with respect to pain, activity level, complication rates, and reoperation rates. The authors conclude that arthroplasty can be a reliable option for selected patients with an irreparable root tear and ongoing pain and dysfunction refractory to non‐operative management, even in the setting of less advanced osteoarthritis on X‐ray.Level of evidenceIII.

Abstract The incidence of sport-related concussion coupled with a doubling of the participation rate in youth hockey over the past two decades provides impetus for the review of the most promising concussion treatment options. This narrative review summarizes the future treatment options for sport-related concussions in ice hockey, while acknowledging their generalizability to concussion in all sports. Symptom assessment, sign observation, as well as cognitive and balance testing, have historically been used to diagnose a concussion. These methods continue to improve, but the need for effective treatments is clear. Pharmacologic, transcranial light, and nutritional supplement treatment options for concussion warranting further investigation have been identified. Dimethyl fumarate is an immunomodulatory compound thought to trigger antioxidant gene expression. Memantine reduces apoptosis and astrogliosis by inhibiting the calcium influx into cells normally caused by glutamate's activation of N -methyl- d -aspartate receptors. Thioredoxin-mimetic peptides and transcranial photobiomodulation temper the effects of the energy crisis by acting as free radical scavengers. In addition, seven neuroprotective nutritional supplements have been identified: berberine, creatine, curcumin, melatonin, omega-3 fatty acids, resveratrol, and vitamins. An estimated US $1.1 billion has been spent on unsuccessful traumatic brain injury clinical trials. As our ability to accurately diagnose concussion improves, dimethyl fumarate, memantine, thioredoxin-mimetic peptides, transcranial photobiomodulation, and nutritional supplements (berberine, creatine, curcumin, melatonin, omega-3 fatty acids, resveratrol, and vitamins) warrant further preclinical and clinical examination in advancing the treatment of sport-related concussions.

Fair Play (FP) is a behavioral modification program originally created in Quebec, Canada, by Edmund Vaz when injuries, violence, aggressive infractions, and expense drastically decreased ice hockey registration numbers. He found that emphasizing sportsmanship had the potential to reduce dangerous plays. FP awards teams one additional point in the district standings after each game if the following criteria are met: (a) the team remained below the predetermined penalty minute threshold, (b) a coach was not assessed a game misconduct, and (c) none of the spectators were ejected from the arena. In collaboration with the Mayo Clinic, Minnesota Hockey adopted FP successfully in 2004. However, it was only applied to district games, accounting for just 36% of the games in a team's season. FP is currently a loosely recommended model in tournaments and plays no role in nondistrict games. In a study of two youth hockey tournaments, the tournament governed by intensified FP found significantly fewer head hits than the tournament without FP. Junior gold-level tournaments also experienced fewer injuries and concussions when using FP. Despite its established effectiveness, FP is underutilized by Minnesota Hockey. The Mayo Clinic Ice Hockey Research Team (MCIHRT) has therefore determined that FP requires a complete relaunch. The Minnesota Hockey board members, district leaders, and MCIHRT have agreed that increasing visibility and establishing universal application by Minnesota Hockey leadership are the most urgent needs. The MCIHRT action plan addressing shortcomings includes: (a) making a FP announcement before and after games; (b) publishing shortened, universal booklets solely regarding FP; (c) coordinating a distribution of new booklets to coaches, officials, and players/parents; and (d) creating webpages on all district and association sites including the rules of FP and access to the FP standings. Finally, creative ways to increase FP's power to favorably modify behavior will be solicited.

Hockey is known for speed, skill, hard hits, and fighting. The violence and aggression present in professional hockey contrasts greatly with the skill and finesse of international play. Aggressive behavior across all levels of hockey has devastating long-term consequences resulting from the high prevalence of head trauma. Retired National Hockey League (NHL) players attribute their cognitive difficulties to the repetitive concussive events sustained during their careers. Some retired professional players, such as Daniel Carcillo and Nick Boynton, claim they would trade their name on the Stanley Cup to have known about the long-term consequences of repetitive head trauma. Many retired professional players, such as Ken Dryden, believe the aggressive intent to injure in hockey is completely unnecessary. Junior A hockey is consistently accompanied by a high risk of head trauma. For example, a single Tier III Junior A team experienced thirteen concussions to ten players in one season. Of six players who perceived it “definitely true” that their role on the team was to be an aggressive, forceful, and physical player, four were objectively diagnosed with a concussion during the season. Hypothesized was that intrinsic psychological factors, such as perceived aggression and willingness to fight, and extrinsic factors, such as role modeling by NHL players and feeling pressured by others to fight, contribute to sustaining concussions in hockey. For example, players perceiving themselves as aggressive and physical are at greater risk of concussion than those who see themselves as finesse, skilled players.

Objectives: Meniscal root disruption results in a loss of hoop strain resistance, increased articular cartilage contact pressure, and acceleration of degenerative changes. There is limited data comparing the outcomes of similarly matched patients with a medial meniscus posterior root tear treated with non-operative management, partial meniscectomy, or repair. The purpose of this study is to compare treatment failure, clinical outcome scores, and radiographic findings for a matched cohort of patients who underwent either non-operative management, partial meniscectomy, or transtibial pull-through repair for a medial meniscus posterior root tear (MMPRT). Our hypothesis is that patients who underwent meniscus root repair will have lower rates of progression to arthroplasty than patients who were treated with non-operative management or partial meniscectomy. Methods: Patients who underwent transtibial medial meniscus posterior horn root repair were matched by meniscus laterality, age, sex and K-L grades to patients treated non-operatively or with a partial meniscectomy. Progression to arthroplasty rates, IKDC and Tegner scores, and radiographic outcomes were analyzed between groups. Results: Forty-five patients were included in this study (15 non-operative, 15 partial meniscectomy, 15 root repair). Progression to arthroplasty demonstrated significant differences among treatment groups at a mean 74 months (non-operative 4/15, partial meniscectomy 9/15, meniscus repair 0/15, p=.0003). The meniscus root repair group had significantly less arthritic progression, as measured by change in K-L grade from pre-op to post-op (non-operative 1.0, partial mensicectomy 1.1, and meniscus repair 0.1, p=.001). Conclusion: Meniscus root repair leads to significantly less arthritis progression and subsequent knee arthroplasty compared to non-operative management and partial meniscectomy in a demographically matched cohort.

Background: Donor site morbidity after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction with a bone–patellar tendon–bone (BTB) autograft is clinically significant, but evidence with contemporary techniques is lacking. Purpose: To (1) evaluate donor site morbidity at a single institution using modern techniques of BTB autograft harvest at 2-year follow-up, (2) develop a 10-question donor site morbidity instrument, and (3) compare this instrument against traditional outcome tools. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: We analyzed the 2-year follow-up outcomes of 200 consecutive patients who underwent ACL reconstruction with a BTB autograft performed by 2 surgeons at a single institution. The surgical technique utilized modern and consistent BTB autograft harvest, including graft sizing, patellar tendon and peritenon closure, and patellar and tibial donor site bone grafting. There were 187 patients included, with 13 patients undergoing revision ACL reconstruction excluded. An original 10-question scoring instrument evaluating donor site morbidity was administered to each patient (score, 0-100) and compared against each patient’s International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) and Lysholm scores. Results: Overall, 13.9% of patients were noted to have anterior knee pain with activity at 2-year follow-up. Moreover, 3.7% of patients reported an inability to kneel on hard surfaces but had no problems on soft surfaces; 5.9% of patients reported mild discomfort but were able to kneel on all surfaces. Additionally, 75.4% of patients had a perfect (100/100) donor site morbidity score. The mean donor site morbidity score at 2-year follow-up was 98.3 ± 3.4. There was a very strong correlation between the IKDC and Lysholm scores but only a strong and moderate correlation when the donor site morbidity score was compared with the IKDC and Lysholm scores, respectively. Conclusion: Donor site morbidity after ACL reconstruction with a BTB autograft was less frequent than reported in the existing literature. Some patients developed anterior knee pain; therefore, an informed discussion is advised. IKDC and Lysholm scores may not capture donor site symptoms after surgery. The 10-question donor site morbidity instrument may provide a more accurate assessment.

Background: Meniscal root tears and ramp lesions have been rigorously characterized in recent literature. However, one of the most common lateral meniscal injuries identified with an acute anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) disruption, a posterior horn lateral meniscal oblique radial tear (LMORT), has not been thoroughly described. Purpose: To determine the incidence of all meniscal tears and, more specifically, the incidence of posterior horn LMORTs in a multicenter cohort of consecutive, acute ACL reconstructions. Additionally, the authors aimed to develop a new classification system to help guide treatment of posterior horn LMORTs. Study Design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: A multicenter retrospective cohort design was used to analyze 200 consecutive cases of acute ACL reconstruction from each of 3 different surgeons, for a total of 600 patients. The operative notes and intraoperative photos were analyzed to determine the incidence and laterality of all meniscal tears. A classification system based on tear characterization was then used to categorize tear patterns into similar groups. Results: A total of 396 (66%) of the 600 patients with acute ACL disruption had concomitant meniscal tears. Specifically, 187 (31%) had a lateral meniscal injury, 89 (15%) had a medial meniscal injury, and 122 (20%) had both medial and lateral meniscal injuries. The most common lateral meniscal tear was an LMORT; 71 (18%) patients with meniscal tears had a posterior horn LMORT. Overall, the incidence of ACL injury with a concomitant posterior horn LMORT was 12%. A classification was developed, which included type 1 tear (partial thickness <10 mm from the root attachment), type 2 tear (complete radial oblique tear that extended <10 mm from root), type 3 tear (incomplete LMORT that extended >10 mm from root), and type 4 tear (complete LMORT >10 mm from root). Conclusion: In 600 consecutive acute ACL reconstructions, the incidence of concomitant ACL injury with meniscal injury was 66%, and posterior horn LMORTs represented a large proportion of all meniscal tears (12%). A classification scheme was developed for posterior horn LMORTs to aid reporting and clinical decision making for these common tears.

Objective To analyze the clinical outcomes, knee function, and activity level of patients after treatment of full-thickness cartilage defects involving the patellofemoral compartment of the knee with cryopreserved osteochondral allograft. Design Nineteen patients with cartilage defects involving the patellofemoral compartment were treated. The average age was 31 years (range 15-45 years), including 12 females and 7 males. Patients were prospectively followed using validated clinical outcome measures including Veterans RAND 12-item Health Survey (VR-12), International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC), Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), and the Tegner activity scale. Graft incorporation was evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or second-look arthroscopy. Results The cartilage defects included the patella ( n = 16) and the femoral trochlea ( n = 3). Mean VR-12 scores increased from 31.6 to 46.3 ( P < 0.01), mean IKDC increased from 40.0 to 69.7 ( P < 0.01), mean KOOS increased from 53.9 to 80.2 ( P < 0.01), and mean Tegner scores increased from 3.0 to 4.9 ( P < 0.01), at average follow-up of 41.9 months (range 24-62 months). Of the 3 patients who underwent second-look arthroscopy, all demonstrated a well-incorporated graft. Mean MOCART score for the 6 patients with follow-up MRI was 62.5 (range 25-85). The reoperation rate was 21.1% and 2 patients (12.5%) experienced progressive patellofemoral osteoarthritis requiring conversion to patellofemoral arthroplasty. Conclusion Patients with unipolar cartilage defects involving the patellofemoral compartment of the knee can have positive outcomes at minimum 2-year follow-up after surgical treatment with a cryopreserved osteochondral allograft when concomitant pathology is also addressed, but the reoperation rate is high and bipolar cartilage lesions may increase the failure rate.

BackgroundDistal iliotibial band friction syndrome (ITBFS) is a common cause of knee pain in endurance athletes. Nonsurgical treatment is usually successful, but surgery is occasionally required for recalcitrant cases. No published studies to date have evaluated the feasibility of an ultrasound‐guided (USG) partial iliotibial band (ITB) release.ObjectiveTo determine the feasibility of an USG partial ITB release using a cutting wire. A secondary aim was to assess whether adjacent structures were damaged. We hypothesized that the posterior distal ITB could be partially transected with a cutting wire under USG with no injury to adjacent structures.DesignCadaveric study.SettingQuaternary‐care academic institute.ParticipantsTen cadaveric knees ranging from 76‐89 years old with a mean body mass index of 21.9 kg/m2.InterventionsOne physician sonographer performed USG releases of the posterior ITBs at the level of the lateral femoral epicondyle with a cutting wire. Dissection was carried out by an independent second physician to assess for primary and secondary outcomes.Main Outcome Measures(1) Release of the posterior border of the ITB; (2) width of the release; (3) evaluation for any injury to adjacent structures; (4) technical difficulty of the procedure (0 = no difficulty, 10 = most difficult procedure possible); (5) duration of time it took to complete the procedure.ResultsAll 10 knees had the posterior border of the ITB transected. Mean release length was 16 mm (range 15‐17), which was within 1 mm of the target release length of 15 mm. No adjacent structures were damaged.ConclusionA USG release of the posterior ITB utilizing a cutting wire is feasible and safe in a cadaveric model. Translational research is warranted to determine how these results apply to the clinical setting.

Purpose To determine (1) the demographic characteristics as well as radiographic findings of medial versus lateral meniscal root tears at time of presentation, (2) treatment decisions and clinical outcomes of patients undergoing medial versus lateral root repair, and (3) risk factors for worse clinical and radiographic outcomes. Methods A retrospective review was performed to identify patients with symptomatic, medial, or lateral meniscus posterior root tears with a minimum 2‐year follow‐up. Radiographs were graded using Kellgren‐Lawrence scores. Subanalysis was performed on 62 patients who underwent root repair. Tegner, Lysholm, International Knee Documentation Committee scores, and progression to arthroplasty were analyzed in the repair groups. Patient demographics, radiographic findings, and clinical outcomes were compared between medial meniscus posterior horn root tear (MMRT) and lateral meniscus root repair (LMRT). Results Of the 141 root tears, 109 were MMRTs, 30 were LMRTs, and 2 patients had both. At the time of injury, patients with MMRTs had a significantly higher age (MMRT = 51.4 vs LMRT=24.6, P < .0001), body mass index (MMRT = 32.1 vs LMRT 25.8, P < .0001), Kellgren‐Lawrence score (MMRT = 1.3 vs LMRT=0.6, P < .0001), and higher rate of major meniscal extrusion (MMRT = 72% vs LMRT = 20%, P < .0001). Of the 30 LMRT, 30/30 (100.0%) were treated with meniscal repair. With MMRT, 52/109 (48%) were treated nonoperatively, 27/109 (25%) with partial meniscectomy, and 30/109 (27%) with meniscal repair. Sixty‐two patients underwent meniscus root repair with an average 41‐month follow‐up. LMRT had significantly increased International Knee Documentation Committee (LMRT = 89.5, MMRT = 80.4, P = .02) and Tegner scores (LMRT = 6.5, MMRT = 5.1, P < .05) compared with MMRT. Conclusions Compared with MMRTs, LMRTs occur in younger male patients with lower body mass index, less cartilage degeneration, less extrusion on magnetic resonance imaging, and more commonly with a ligament injury. Although good to excellent clinical outcomes were attained in select patients for both medial and lateral meniscus root repair, LMRTs may have better results after repair, suggesting that differences in injury and patient characteristics may contribute to differences in these outcomes. Level of Evidence Retrospective comparative study, Level III.