Bicruciate ligament injuries are equivalent to knee dislocations with regard to mechanism of injury, severity of ligamentous injury, and frequency of major arterial injuries.

Context:Isolated chondral and osteochondral defects of the knee are a difficult clinical challenge, particularly in younger patients for whom alternatives such as partial or total knee arthroplasty are rarely advised. Numerous surgical techniques have been developed to address focal cartilage defects. Cartilage treatment strategies are characterized as palliation (eg, chondroplasty and debridement), repair (eg, drilling and microfracture [MF]), or restoration (eg, autologous chondrocyte implantation [ACI], osteochondral autograft [OAT], and osteochondral allograft [OCA]).Evidence Acquisition:PubMed was searched for treatment articles using the keywords knee, articular cartilage, and osteochondral defect, with a focus on articles published in the past 5 years.Study Design:Clinical review.Level of Evidence:Level 4.Results:In general, smaller lesions (<2 cm2) are best treated with MF or OAT. Furthermore, OAT shows trends toward greater longevity and durability as well as improved outcomes in high-demand patients. Intermediate-size lesions (2-4 cm2) have shown fairly equivalent treatment results using either OAT or ACI options. For larger lesions (>4 cm2), ACI or OCA have shown the best results, with OCA being an option for large osteochondritis dissecans lesions and posttraumatic defects.Conclusion:These techniques may improve patient outcomes, though no single technique can reproduce normal hyaline cartilage.

We reviewed the results in 13 patients who underwent simultaneous allograft reconstruction of both the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments after a knee dislocation (nine acute and four chronic injuries). Seven patients sustained related medial collateral ligament injuries and six patients had posterolateral complex injuries. Ligament reconstructions were performed using fresh-frozen Achilles or patellar tendon allografts. At follow-up evaluation (mean of 38 months), only one patient described the reconstructed knee as normal. Six patients had returned to unrestricted sports activities and four had returned to modified sports. The average extension loss was 3 degrees (range, 0 degree to 10 degrees) and average flexion loss was 5 degrees (range, 0 degree to 15 degrees). The KT-1000 arthrometer measurements at 133 N anterior-posterior tibial load showed a mean side-to-side difference of 4.5 mm (range, 0 to 10) at 20 degrees and 5.0 mm (range, 0 to 9) at 70 degrees. The mean Lysholm score was 88 (range, 42 to 100). International Knee Documentation Committee ratings were six nearly normal, five abnormal, and one grossly abnormal. Two patients required manipulations for knee stiffness. This study demonstrates that reconstruction of both cruciate ligaments can restore stability sufficient to allow sports activity in most patients with knee dislocations, but "normal" results are difficult to achieve.

Ligamentous injuries to the tarsometatarsal joints are uncommon and usually result from violent trauma to the forefoot. A more subtle tarsometatarsal injury consisting of an isolated diastasis of the first and second tarsometatarsal rays has recently been described. This injury is thought to be caused by a rupture of Lisfranc's ligament. Nine injuries that occurred during athletics are described. History and physical findings are crucial for arousing the clinician's suspicion for this injury, but confirmation can best be obtained by comparison weight-bearing radiographs; the space between the first and second metatarsal bases may be widened 2 to 5 mm. Nonoperative treatment consisting of casting and the use of crutches for 4 to 6 weeks was successful in returning patients back to athletics; however, the time to return to competition averaged 4 months.

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Background: Injury to the posterolateral corner (PLC) of the knee requires reconstruction to restore coronal and rotary stability. Two commonly used procedures are the Arciero reconstruction technique (ART) and the LaPrade reconstruction technique (LRT). To the authors’ knowledge, these techniques have not been biomechanically compared against one another. Purpose: To identify if one of these reconstruction techniques better restores stability to a PLC-deficient knee and if concomitant injury to the proximal tibiofibular joint or anterior cruciate ligament affects these results. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: Eight matched-paired cadaveric specimens from the midfemur to toes were used. Each specimen was tested in 4 phases: intact PLC (phase 1), PLC sectioned (phase 2), PLC reconstructed (ART or LRT) (phase 3), and tibiofibular (phase 4A) or anterior cruciate ligament (phase 4B) sectioning with PLC reconstructed. Varus angulation and external rotation at 0º, 20º, 30º, 60º, and 90º of knee flexion were quantified at each phase. Results: In phase 3, both reconstructions were effective at restoring laxity back to the intact state. However, in phase 4A, both reconstructions were ineffective at stabilizing the joint owing to tibiofibular instability. In phase 4B, both reconstructions had the potential to restrict varus angulation motion. There were no statistically significant differences found between reconstruction techniques for varus angulation or external rotation at any degree of flexion in phase 3 or 4. Conclusion: The LRT and ART are equally effective at restoring stability to knees with PLC injuries. Neither reconstruction technique fully restores stability to knees with combined PLC and proximal tibiofibular joint injuries. Clinical Relevance: Given these findings, surgeons may select their reconstruction technique based on their experience and training and the specific needs of their patients.