Acute anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears are most frequently sustained by young, physically active individuals. ACL injuries are seen at high incidence in adolescents and young adults performing sports and occupational activities that involve pivoting. Young women participating in pivoting sports have a 3 to 5 times higher risk of ACL injury than men. Studies show that ACL injury increases osteoarthritis (OA) risk with symptomatic OA appearing in roughly half of individuals 10-15 years later. Because the majority of patients sustaining acute ACL tears are younger than 30, this leads to early onset OA with associated pain and disability during premium work and life growth years between ages 30 and 50. Effective strategies to prevent ACL injury and to reduce subsequent OA risk in those sustaining acute ACL tears are needed.

Autologous chondrocyte implantation is a viable treatment option for chondral defects of the patellofemoral joint. Combined autologous chondrocyte implantation with anteromedialization improves outcomes more than autologous chondrocyte implantation alone. Patients with failed prior cartilage procedures can also expect sustained and clinically meaningful improvement.

There is significant inter- and intraobserver variability observed among experienced shoulder surgeons using the Goutallier classification for assessing fatty infiltration of the rotator cuff muscles after chronic rotator cuff tears. Respondents were more likely to agree with themselves than with other respondents. A simplification of the MRI classification system is proposed that takes into consideration the variability determined by this study.

Background Preventing anatomic failure after rotator cuff repair (RCR) remains a challenge. Augmentation with a surgical mesh may permanently reinforce the repair and decrease failure rates. The purpose of this study is to assess the postoperative outcomes of open RCR augmented with a novel reticulated polycarbonate polyurethane patch. Materials and methods Ten patients with supraspinatus tendon tears underwent open RCR augmented with a polycarbonate polyurethane patch secured in a 6-point fixation construct placed over the repaired tendon. Patients were evaluated with preoperative and postoperative outcome measures, including the Simple Shoulder Test, visual analog pain scale, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons shoulder score, Cumulative Activities of Daily Living score, and University of California, Los Angeles shoulder scale, as well as range of motion. Postoperative magnetic resonance imaging was used to evaluate repair status. Results Patients showed significant improvements in visual analog pain scale, Simple Shoulder Test, and American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons shoulder scores at both 6 and 12 months postoperatively (P <.05 and P < .01, respectively). The University of California, Los Angeles postoperative score was good to excellent in 7 patients at 6 months and in 8 patients at 12 months. Range of motion in forward flexion, abduction, internal rotation, and external rotation was significantly improved at both 6 and 12 months postoperatively (P < .05 and P < .01, respectively). Magnetic resonance imaging at 12 months showed healing in 90%; one patient had a definitive persistent tear. We found no adverse events associated with the patch, including the absence of fibrosis, mechanical symptoms, or visible subacromial adhesions. Discussion The polycarbonate polyurethane patch was designed to support tissue in growth and enhance healing as shown by preclinical animal studies. Clinically, the patch is well tolerated and shows promising efficacy, with a 10% retear rate at the 12-month time point. Level of evidence Level IV, Case Series, Treatment Study.

Hypothesis Patients with type II superior labrum, anterior to posterior (SLAP) lesions will have improved function and decrease pain at a minimum two years after arthroscopic SLAP repair using bioabsorbable suture anchor fixation. Materials and Methods The study population consisted of 48 patients who underwent arthroscopic SLAP repair. Subjective shoulder scores, range of motion, and strength (post-operative only) were assessed pre-operatively and at a minimum of two years post-operatively. Results At an average of 3.4 years following surgery, statistically significant improvement was seen in ASES, UCLA, SST, CADL, VAS, and SF-12 physical outcome scores. Improvements were made in forward flexion, abduction, external rotation, and internal rotation. Subgroup analysis of non-athletes, non-overhead athletes, recreational overhead athletes, and collegiate overhead athletes showed pre- to post-operative improvements in subjective outcomes scores. Overhead laborers and non-laborers subgroups also showed pre- to post-operative improvements in subjective shoulder scores. Discussion On the basis of this data, arthroscopic SLAP repair of type II lesions with bioabsorbable suture anchors provides a significant improvement in functional capacity and pain relief. No differences were seen between the outcomes of non-athletes, non-overhead athletes, recreational overhead athletes, and collegiate overhead athletes, suggesting that SLAP type II repair is successful independent of the patient’s vocation or sport. Level of Evidence IV, Case Series, Treatment Study