Arthroscopic Posteromedial Corner Reconstruction: A Novel Technique and Case Series

Document Type : RESEARCH PAPER

Authors

1 Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Rasoul Akram Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

2 Bone and Joint Reconstruction Research Center, Department of Orthopedics, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

3 Department of Sports and Exercise Medicine, School of Medicine, Rasoul Akram Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

4 Department of MPH, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

5 Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

6 Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sciences and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to introduce a novel arthroscopic treatment for medial and posteromedial 
instability of the knee and present the primary and follow-up results.
Methods: All patients who underwent the arthroscopic approach to treat medial and posteromedial corner instability 
from 2007 to 2017 were included in this report. Overall, 45 patients were included, among which 75.6% were male. 
The mean age of patients was 32.2 ± 8.4 years. Overall, 44.4% and 15.6% of patients had associated meniscal 
injuries and chondral lesions, respectively. The mean follow-up duration of patients was 84.2 ± 25.3 months.
Results: Overall, 37 patients developed a full range of motion (82.2%), and most patients (95.6%) showed excellent 
quadriceps strength (grades 4 and 5). All patients had a normal or 1+ posterior drawer test, Pivot shift test, and 
Lachman test on physical examination. Moreover, 60% had an associated isolated anterior cruciate ligament injury, 
17.8% had an isolated posterior collateral ligament injury, and 17.6% had a combination of more than one ligament 
injury. One patient developed septic arthritis. Two patients experienced pain, and one pain patient developed pain 
with a bony spur formation in the medial epicondyle. Three patients showed a 2+ medial collateral ligament (MCL) 
test (moderate instability) at the final follow-up, all of whom had multi-ligament injuries. All patients, except the three 
patients who had a failed MCL reconstruction, returned to their previous activities.
Conclusion: This study described a novel arthroscopic treatment of MCL injury, and the results showed acceptable 
postoperative and clinical outcomes. As the use of minimally invasive surgery may minimize multiple complications 
associated with open surgery, it is suggested that further studies be conducted regarding this approach when faced 
with patients who have MCL injuries requiring surgery.
 Level of evidence: IV

Keywords

Main Subjects


  1. Lundquist RB, Matcuk Jr GR, Schein AJ, et al. Posteromedial corner of the knee: the neglected corner. Radiographics. 2015; 35: 1123–1137. doi: 10.1148/rg.2015140166.
  2. Andrews K, Lu A, Mckean L, Ebraheim N. Medial collateral ligament injuries. J Orthop. 2017; 14: 550–554. doi: 10.1016/j.jor.2017.07.017.
  3. Bonasia DE, Palazzolo A, Enrietti E, Pilone C, Rosso F, Rossi R. Conservative treatment for medial collateral ligament injuries of the knee. Minerva Ortopedica e Traumatologica. 2018; 69: 28–33. doi: 10.23736/S0394-3410.17.03846-2.
  4. Encinas-Ullán CA, Rodríguez-Merchán EC. Isolated medial collateral ligament tears: an update on management. EFORT Open Rev. 2018; 3: 398–407. doi: 10.1302/2058-5241.3.170035.
  5. Roberts SB, Beattie N, Brown GS, White T. Interventions for treating injuries of the medial ligaments of the knee. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2017; 2017(7). doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD010940.pub2.
  6. Sims WF, Jacobson KE. The posteromedial corner of the knee: medial-sided injury patterns revisited. Am J Sports Med. 2004; 32: 337–345. doi: 10.1177/0363546503261738.
  7. Tandogan NR, Kayaalp A. Surgical treatment of medial knee ligament injuries: Current indications and techniques. EFORT Open Rev. 2016; 1: 27–33. doi: 10.1302/2058-5241.1.000007.
  8. Liu J, Fan L, Zhu Y, Yu H, Xu T, Li G.Comparison of clinical outcomes in all-arthroscopic versus mini-open repair of rotator cuff tears: A randomized clinical trial. Medicine (Baltimore).2017; 96(11):e6322.doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000006322.
  9. Hughston JC, Andrews JR, Cross MJ, MoscHI AR. Classification of knee ligament instabilities. Part I. The medial compartment and cruciate ligaments. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 1976; 58: 159–172.
  10. Zionts LE. Fractures around the knee in children. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2002; 10(5):345-55. doi: 10.5435/00124635-200209000-00006.
  11. Razi M, Ghaffari S, Askari A, Arasteh P, Ziabari EZ, Dadgostar H. An evaluation of posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2020; 21: 1–11. doi: 10.1186/s12891-020-03533-6.
  12. Mulligan EP, McGuffie DQ, Coyner K, Khazzam M. The reliability and diagnostic accuracy of assessing the translation endpoint during the lachman test. Int J Sports Phys Ther 2015; 10: 52.
  13. Naqvi U. Muscle strength grading. In: StatPearls [Internet]. StatPearls Publishing, 2022.
  14. LaPrade RF, Wijdicks CA. Surgical technique: development of an anatomic medial knee reconstruction. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2012; 470: 806–814. doi: 10.1007/s11999-011-2061-1.
  15. DeLong JM, Waterman BR. Surgical techniques for the reconstruction of medial collateral ligament and posteromedial corner injuries of the knee: a systematic review. Arthroscopy.2015; 31: 2258–2272. doi: 10.1016/j.arthro.2015.05.011.
  16. Lind M, Jacobsen K, Nielsen T. Medial collateral ligament (MCL) reconstruction results in improved medial stability: results from the Danish knee ligament reconstruction registry (DKRR). Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2020; 28: 881–887. doi: 10.1007/s00167-019-05535-x.
  17. Varelas AN, Erickson BJ, Cvetanovich GL, Bach Jr BR. Medial collateral ligament reconstruction in patients with medial knee instability: a systematic review. Orthop J Sports Med. 2017; 5: 2325967117703920. doi: 10.1177/2325967117703920.
  18. Preiss A, Giannakos A, Frosch K-H. Minimally invasive

 

augmentation of the medial collateral ligament with autologous hamstring tendons in chronic knee instability. Oper Orthop Traumatol. 2012; 24: 335–347. doi: 10.1007/s00064-012-0164-9.

  1. Yoshiya S, Kuroda R, Mizuno K, Yamamoto T, Kurosaka M. Medial collateral ligament reconstruction using autogenous hamstring tendons: technique and results in initial cases. Am J Sports Med. 2005; 33: 1380–1385. doi: 10.1177/0363546504273487.
  2. Barber FA. What is the terrible triad? Arthroscopy: Arthroscopy. 1992; 8: 19–22. doi: 10.1016/0749-8063(92)90130-4.
  3. Dacombe PJ. Shelbourne’s update of the O’Donoghue knee triad in a 17-year-old male Rugby player. BMJ Case Rep. 2013; 2013: bcr-01. doi: 10.1136/bcr.01.2012.5593.
  4. Shelbourne KD, Nitz PA. The O’Donoghue triad revisited: combined knee injuries involving anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligament tears. Am J Sports Med. 1991; 19: 474–477. doi: 10.1177/036354659101900509.
  5. Wijdicks CA, Westerhaus BD, Brand EJ, Johansen S, Engebretsen L, LaPrade RF. Sartorial branch of the saphenous nerve in relation to a medial knee ligament repair or reconstruction. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc.2010; 18: 1105–1109. doi: 10.1007/s00167-009-0934-6.