BACKGROUND Whether arthroscopic partial meniscectomy for symptomatic patients with a meniscal tear and knee osteoarthritis results in better functional outcomes than nonoperative therapy is uncertain. METHODS We conducted a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial involving symptomatic patients 45 years of age or older with a meniscal tear and evidence of mild-to-moderate osteoarthritis on imaging. We randomly assigned 351 patients to surgery and postoperative physical therapy or to a standardized physical-therapy regimen (with the option to cross over to surgery at the discretion of the patient and surgeon). The patients were evaluated at 6 and 12 months. The primary outcome was the difference between the groups with respect to the change in the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) physical-function score (ranging from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more severe symptoms) 6 months after randomization. RESULTS In the intention-to-treat analysis, the mean improvement in the WOMAC score after 6 months was 20.9 points (95% confidence interval [CI], 17.9 to 23.9) in the surgical group and 18.5 (95% CI, 15.6 to 21.5) in the physical-therapy group (mean difference, 2.4 points; 95% CI, −1.8 to 6.5). At 6 months, 51 active participants in the study who were assigned to physical therapy alone (30%) had undergone surgery, and 9 patients assigned to surgery (6%) had not undergone surgery. The results at 12 months were similar to those at 6 months. The frequency of adverse events did not differ significantly between the groups. CONCLUSIONS In the intention-to-treat analysis, we did not find significant differences between the study groups in functional improvement 6 months after randomization; however, 30% of the patients who were assigned to physical therapy alone underwent surgery within 6 months. (Funded by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases; METEOR ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00597012.)

Objectives:Retear of an ACL after an ACL reconstruction (ACLR) is devastating for all involved. Understanding risk factors and predictors of subsequent ACL tear after an ACLR is vital for patient education of subsequent risk of injury and if a predictor is modifiable, to make adjustments to minimize the risk of repeat ACL tear. The objectives of this study were 1) to identify the risk factors and predictors for ispilateral and contralateral ACL tears after primary ACLR and 2) to compare retear risk between the 2002/03 and 2007/08 cohorts. This is the largest and most comprehensive prospective analysis of this kind in the literature.Methods:Data from the 2002-2008 MOON database was used to identify risk factors for ACL retear. Subjects who had a primary ACLR with no history of contralateral knee surgery and had 2 year follow-up data were included. Subjects who had multiligament surgery were excluded. Graft type (auto-BTB, auto-hamstring, allograft), age, Marx score at time of index surgery, sport played post ACLR, sex, smoking status, lateral meniscus tear at the time of ACLR, medial meniscus tear at the time of ACLR, BMI, and MOON site were evaluated to determine their contribution to both ipsilateral retear and contralateral ACL tear. The analysis was repeated using the 2002/3 and 2007/8 cohort and included age, graft, sex, and Marx. An ANOVA with post-hoc analysis was performed to detect significant differences in age and Marx score by graft type over time.Results:A total of 2801 subjects met all inclusion/exclusion criteria. There were 165/2801 (5.89%) ipsilateral and 177/2801 (6.32%) contralateral ACL tears identified in the cohort at the two year follow-up. The odds of ipsilateral retear are 1.68 times greater for hamstring autograft (p=0.04) and 4.67 times greater for an allograft (p<0.001) compared to auto-BTB. The odds of ipsilateral retear decrease by 8% for every yearly increase in age (p < 0.001) and increases by 6% for every increased point on the Marx score (p = 0.017). The odds of contralateral ACL tear increase by 7% for every increased point on the Marx score (p = 0.004) and decreases by 5% for every one point increase in BMI (p = 0.03). In 2002/3, there were 61/815 (7.5%) retears compared to 37/1056 (3.5%) in 2007/8. The odds of retear by for the 2002/03 and 2007/08 cohorts are summarized in table 1. The mean age (figure 1) of subjects receiving BTB and hamstring remained constant over time whereas the mean age of subjects receiving allograft rose by seven years (p < 0.001). Hamstring use was a predictor of retear compared to BTB in the 02/03 group (7.9% vs. 4.2%), but not in the 07/08 group (4.1% vs. 3.4%).Conclusion:Age, activity, and graft type were predictors of increased risk of ipsilateral graft failure after ACLR. Higher activity and lower BMI were found to be risk factors in contralateral ACL tears. Allograft use in young active patients was shown to be a risk factor for graft retear in the 02/03 group, subsequent to this, graft choice changed to using allografts in older and less active ...

Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is the combination of the best available research evidence with clinical experience and patient needs. The concept of EBM as a part of clinical decision making has become increasingly popular over the last decade. In the hierarchy of studies meta-analysis and systematic reviews occupy the highest levels. A systematic review of a clinical question can be performed by following a relatively standard form. These techniques as described here can be performed without formal training. Systematic reviews conducted in this fashion can be used as a higher form of current concepts or as review articles and replace the traditional expert opinion narrative review.

Background There is limited information on outcomes and return to play (RTP) after ACL reconstruction (ACLR) in soccer athletes. Hypothesis The purpose of this study was to (i) test the hypotheses that player sex, side of injury and graft choice do not influence RTP, and (ii) define the risk for future ACL injury in soccer players after ACLR. Study design Retrospective cohort study, Level II. Methods Soccer players in a prospective cohort were contacted to determine RTP following ACLR. Information regarding if and when they returned to play, their current playing status, the primary reason they stopped playing soccer (if relevant) and incidence of subsequent ACL surgery was recorded. Results Initially, 72% of 100 soccer athletes (55 male, 45 female) with a mean age of 24.2 years at the time of ACL reconstruction returned to soccer. At average follow up of 7.0 years, 36% were still playing, a significant decrease compared to initial RTP (p<0.0001). Based on multivariate analysis, older athletes (p=0.006) and females (p=0.037) were less likely to return to play. Twelve soccer athletes had undergone further ACL surgery, including 9 on the contralateral knee and 3 on the ipsilateral knee. In a univariate analysis, females were more likely to have future ACL surgery (20% v. 5.5%, p=0.03). Soccer athletes who underwent ACLR on their non-dominant limb had a higher future rate of contra-lateral ACLR (16%) than soccer athletes who underwent ACLR on their dominant limb (3.5%) (p=0.03). Conclusion Younger and male soccer players are more likely to return to play after ACL reconstruction. Return to soccer following ACLR declines over time.

ABSTRACT:The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) fails to heal after suture repair. One hypothesis for this failure is the premature loss of the fibrin clot, or provisional scaffolding, between the two ligament ends in the joint environment. To test this hypothesis, a substitute provisional scaffold of collagen-platelet rich plasma (PRP) hydrogel was used to fill the ACL wound site at the time of suture repair and the structural properties of the healing ACLs evaluated 4 weeks after surgery. Bilateral ACL transections were performed in five 30-kg Yorkshire pigs and treated with suture repair. In each animal, one of the repairs was augmented with placement of a collagen-PRP hydrogel at the ACL transection site, while the contralateral knee had suture repair alone. In addition, six control knees with intact ACLs from three additional animals were used as a control group. No postoperative immobilization was used. After 4 weeks the animals underwent in vivo magnetic resonance imaging to assess the size of the healing ACL, followed by biomechanical testing to determine tensile properties. The supplementation of suture repair with a collagen-PRP hydrogel resulted in significant improvements in load at yield, maximum load, and linear stiffness at 4 weeks. We conclude that use of a stabilized provisional scaffold, such as a collagen-PRP hydrogel, to supplement primary repair of the ACL can result in improved biomechanical properties at an early time point. Further studies to determine the long-term effect of primary repair enhancement are needed. ß