The occurrence and the consistency of the popliteomeniscal fascicle between the popliteus tendon and the lateral meniscus have been the subject of debate. It is difficult to diagnose and treat popliteomeniscal fascicle tears. Furthermore, popliteomeniscal fascicle tears are difficult to identify with arthroscopy. This article describes the diagnostic factors for popliteomeniscal fascicle tears and the safe, effective operative techniques that can be used for their treatment. We suggest that popliteomeniscal fascicle tears are diagnosed when the following 3 conditions are confirmed: (1) existence of mechanical symptoms such as pain, locking, and giving way in the lateral compartment of the knee; (2) identification of hypermobility of the lateral meniscus through arthroscopic probing; and (3) occurrence of an osteochondral lesion in the posterior area of the lateral femoral condyle. In the case of popliteomeniscal fascicle tears, the tear area can be repaired with a suture hook and polydioxanone with an all-inside technique. If the joint space is narrowing because of soft-tissue tightness, it can be repaired with a zone-specific cannula through an inside-out technique.

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BackgroundThe aim of this study was to describe the mini-open suture bridge technique with porcine dermal patch augmentation for massive rotator cuff tear and to assess preliminary clinical and radiological results.MethodsFive patients with massive rotator cuff tear for which it was not possible to restore the anatomical footprint underwent mini-open suture bridge repair using a porcine dermal patch. The patients' average age was 53.4 years (range, 45 to 57 years), and the average duration of follow-up was 20.6 months (range, 14 to 26 months). Patients were evaluated with preoperative and postoperative outcome measures, including a visual analog scale (VAS) for pain, the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) score, and the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score. The structural integrity of repaired rotator cuffs was assessed by magnetic resonance imaging 6 months postoperatively.ResultsThe average VAS pain score, UCLA score, and ASES score improved from 6.8, 15.4, and 39.4 preoperatively to 0.8, 31.2, and 86.4 postoperatively (p = 0.041, 0.042, and 0.043, respectively). Magnetic resonance images obtained at an average of 8 months after surgery showed that four patients had intact repair integrity with graft incorporation. One patient had a re-tear with partial healing but still had a satisfactory clinical outcome. There was no intraoperative or postoperative complication in any patient.ConclusionsMini-open suture bridge repair with porcine dermal patch augmentation can be an option in young patients with high physical demands and massive rotator cuff tears for which it is not possible to restore the anatomical footprint.

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial License (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc/3.0) which permits unrestricted noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Purpose:The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects and safety of a sleep aid for postoperative analgesia in patients undergoing arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. Materials and Methods: Seventy-eight patients were prospectively assigned to either the zolpidem group (multimodal analgesia+zolpidem; 39 patients) or the control group (multimodal analgesia; 39 patients). Self-rated pain levels were assessed twice a day using a visual analog scale (VAS). The need for additional rescue analgesic, duration of functional recovery, and adverse effects were assessed for the first 5 days after surgery. Results: The mean number of times that additional rescue analgesic was required during 5 days after surgery was 2.1±2.0 in the zolpidem group and 3.3±2.8 in the control group, a significant difference. There were no significant differences between the two groups in mean VAS pain scores during the first 5 days after surgery, although the zolpidem group had lower VAS pain scores than the control group. Additionally, there were no significant differences in duration of functional recovery and adverse effects between the two groups. Conclusion: The use of zolpidem for analgesia after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair provided a significant reduction in the need for rescue analgesic without increasing adverse effects. Nevertheless, mean VAS pain scores during the first 5 days after surgery did not differ between the zolpidem group and the control group.

Prospective Comparative Study, Prognosis Study, Level II.