Background: Autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) is an increasingly popular technique for the treatment of articular cartilage defects. Because several companies have financial interests in ACI, it is important to consider possible conflicts of interest when evaluating studies reporting outcomes of ACI. Purpose: To determine whether there is an association between authors’ financial conflicts of interest and the outcomes of ACI studies. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: A search of PubMed and MEDLINE databases for “autologous chondrocyte implantation” was performed. Clinical studies published after 2012 through May 15, 2019, and in English were included. Studies were determined to have financial conflicts of interest if any contributing author had relevant conflicts, either self-reported in the published study’s disclosures section or reported online in the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Disclosure database or the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Open Payments database. The outcomes of each study were rated as favorable, equivocal, or unfavorable based on predefined criteria and then tested for association with conflicts of interest through use of the Fisher exact test. Results: A total of 79 studies met the inclusion criteria. Nearly all studies were of level 3 or 4 evidence. Conflicts of interest were established in 51.90% of studies (n = 41). Conflicts that were not self-reported by the authors were discovered in 18% of studies. The level of evidence was not associated with conflict of interest. No statistically significant difference was found in the rate of favorable outcomes between studies with conflicts (92.68%) and those with no conflicts (81.58%) ( P = .126). Publications by US authors were more likely to have financial conflicts of interest ( P = .003). Conclusion: Favorable results were reported in a majority of studies involving ACI. No statistical association was found between the frequency of favorable outcomes and the presence of financial conflicts of interest, country of authorship, or level of evidence. There was a trend toward more favorable outcomes in studies with conflicts of interest. Additionally, nearly 20% of publications had possible conflicts found online that were not self-reported. It is critical for orthopaedic surgeons to judiciously evaluate published studies and consider financial conflicts of interest before performing ACI techniques on patients.

A defect along the superior or inferior rim had a minimal effect on cup fixation, while a defect in the columns created cup instability and increased stress at the defect location.

Background: Superior capsular reconstruction (SCR) has been gaining popularity as a treatment for irreparable rotator cuff tears (RCTs), especially in younger patients. This biomechanical study aimed to investigate how SCR affects functional abduction force, humeral head migration, and passive range of motion following an irreparable RCT. We hypothesized that SCR will restore these parameters to nearly intact shoulder levels. Methods: Six fresh-frozen cadaveric shoulders were evaluated using a custom biomechanical testing apparatus. Each shoulder was taken through 3 conditions: (1) intact (control); (2) irreparable, complete supraspinatus (SS) tear; and (3) SCR. Functional abduction force, superior humeral head migration, and passive range of motion, including axial shoulder rotation, were measured in static condition at 0 , 30 , and 60 of glenohumeral abduction. Data were analyzed using the paired Student t test or Wilcoxon signed rank test, depending on the results of normality testing. Results: The irreparable SS tear resulted in significantly lower functional abduction force at 30 of abduction (P ¼ .01) and a trend toward a decrease (P ¼ .17) at 60 compared with the intact configuration. SCR shoulders produced greater functional force at 0 compared with the tear configuration (P ¼ .046). Humeral head migration was significantly increased by 4.4 and 3.0 mm at 0 and 30 of abduction, respectively, when comparing the intact vs. SS tear configurations (P ¼ .001). SCR decreased superior migration down to levels of intact shoulders at 0 and 30 of abduction (P ¼ .008 and P ¼ .013, respectively) and was not significantly different from the intact configuration at any angle. SCR decreased passive shoulder extension compared with the tear configuration and increased abduction compared with the intact configuration (P ¼ .007 and P ¼ .03, respectively). The overall arc of axial rotation was not significantly different between SCR and the intact configuration at any angle. Conclusions: In the setting of an irreparable SS tear, SCR restores key biomechanical parameters of the shoulder to intact levels. SCR should be considered for qualifying patients with irreparable RCTs.

Background: Degenerative and traumatic changes to the rotator cuff can result in massive and irreparable rotator cuff tears (RCTs). Purpose/Hypothesis: The study objective was to conduct a biomechanical comparison between a small, incomplete RCT and a large, complete RCT. We hypothesized that the incomplete supraspinatus (SS) tear would lead to an incremental loss of abduction force and preserve vertical position of the humeral head, while a complete SS tear would cause superior humeral migration, decrease functional deltoid abduction force, and increase passive range of motion (ROM). Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: Six cadaveric shoulders were evaluated using a custom testing apparatus. Each shoulder was subjected to 3 conditions: (1) intact/control, (2) 50%, full-thickness, incomplete SS tear, and (3) 100%, complete SS tear. Deltoid abduction force, superior humeral head migration, and passive ROM were measured in static conditions at 0°, 30°, and 60° of glenohumeral abduction, respectively. Results: The intact SS resulted in a mean deltoid abduction force of 2.5, 3.3, and 3.8 N at 0°, 30°, and 60° of abduction, respectively. Compared with the intact shoulder, there was no significant difference in mean abduction force seen in the incomplete tear, while the force was significantly decreased by 52% at 30° of abduction in the complete tear ( P = .009). Compared with the incomplete tear, there were significant decreases in abduction force seen in the complete tear, by 33% and 48% (0.9 N and 1.1 N) at 0° and 30° of abduction, respectively ( P = .04 and .004). The intact configuration experienced a mean superior humeral head migration of 1.5, 1.4, and 1.1 mm at 0°, 30°, and 60° of abduction, respectively. The complete tear resulted in a superior migration of 3.0 and 4.4 mm greater than the intact configuration at 0° and 30° of abduction, respectively ( P = .001). There was a 5° and 10° increase in abduction ROM with 50% and 100% tears, respectively ( P = .003 and .03). Conclusion: An incomplete SS tear does not significantly alter the biomechanics of the shoulder, while a large, complete SS tear leads to a significant superior humeral migration, a decreased deltoid abduction force, and a mild increase in passive ROM. Clinical Relevance: Our findings demonstrate the effects of large SS tears on key biomechanical parameters, as they progress from partial tears.

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