There is growing evidence that anatomic placement of the femoral tunnel in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction confers biomechanical advantages over the traditional tunnel position. The anteromedial portal technique for anatomic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction has many well-described technical challenges. This article describes the translateral all-inside technique, which produces anatomic femoral tunnel placement using direct measurement of the medial wall of the lateral femoral condyle and outside-in drilling. All work is carried out through the lateral portal with all viewing through the medial portal. Thus there is no need for an accessory medial portal or hyperflexion of the knee during femoral socket preparation. A single quadrupled hamstring graft is used with cortical fixation at both the femoral and tibial tunnels.T ranstibial drilling remains the most popular method for creating the femoral tunnel in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. With this technique, femoral socket placement is dictated by the tibial tunnel, which invariably results in a relatively vertical position of the graft. Although this technique has had good early clinical outcomes, the procedure has been shown to be nonanatomic.
Thirty-eight fingers in 27 patients with Dupuytren's contracture of the proximal interphalangeal joint (PIPJ) in excess of 70° were treated using a staged technique. The first stage involved applying a mini external fixator across the PIPJ for continuous extension over 6 weeks with intensive hand therapy to maintain mobility of the joint and help correct the deformity. Twice weekly during hand therapy sessions the tension of the elastic band across the mini ex-fix was increased, allowing that full active flexion of the PIPJ against the elastic band could still be achieved. The second stage, 4 weeks after the external fixator was applied, involved an open palm technique of fasciectomy for the contracted cords restricting metacarpophalangeal joint movement and dermofasciectomy with full-thickness skin grafting over the proximal phalanx for bands restricting PIPJ movement. The external fixator was used to maintain active extension force until the graft healed. It was generally removed in the outpatient clinic under ring block 2 weeks after the second stage procedure. The patients were followed for a mean of 20.6 (6-48) months. The mean preoperative PIPJ deformity improved from 75° to 37° postoperatively. Overall, 69% of results were rated as good to excellent. Only one patient reported any on-going functional problems. There were eight cases of pin site infections and one case each of loose pins, osteoarthritics at the PIPJ, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, and disease recurrence needing PIPJ fusion. We conclude that our simple staged procedure is a valid alternative in the management of severe Dupuytren's PIPJ contracture.
Cadaveric and clinical biomechanical studies show improved kinematic restoration using double-bundle anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction techniques. These have been criticized in the past for being technically challenging. We present a novel 3-socket approach for anatomic "all-inside" double-bundle reconstruction using a single hamstring tendon fashioned to create a trifurcate graft: the TriLink technique. The semitendinosus alone is harvested, quadrupled, and attached to 3 suspensory fixation devices in a Y-shaped configuration, creating a 4-stranded tibial limb and 2 double-stranded femoral limbs. A medial viewing/lateral working arthroscopic approach is adopted using specifically designed instrumentation. Anatomic placement of the 2 femoral tunnels is performed by a validated direct measurement technique. A single mid-bundle position is used on the tibia. Both femoral and tibial sockets are created in a retrograde manner using outside-to-in drilling. This is a simplified operative technique for anatomic double-bundle ACL reconstruction that maximizes bone preservation. The TriLink construct replicates the 2 bundles of the ACL, conferring native functional anisometry and improving femoral footprint coverage while avoiding the complexities and pitfalls of doubleetibial tunnel techniques. Preservation of the gracilis reduces the morbidity of hamstring harvest and allows greater flexibility in graft choice in cases requiring multiligament reconstruction.
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