Giacomo Rizzello

No Advantages in Repairing a Type II Superior Labrum Anterior and Posterior (SLAP) Lesion When Associated With Rotator Cuff Repair in Patients Over Age 50 A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background Arthroscopic management has been recommended for some superior labrum anterior and posterior (SLAP) lesions, but no studies have focused on patients over 50 years of age with rotator cuff tear and a type II SLAP lesion. Hypothesis In patients over 50 years of age with an arthroscopically confirmed lesion of the rotator cuff and a type II SLAP lesion, there is no difference between (1) repair of both lesions and (2) repair of the rotator cuff tear without repair of the SLAP II lesion but with a tenotomy of the long head of the biceps. Study Design Randomized controlled clinical trial; Level of evidence, 1. Methods We recruited 63 patients. In 31 patients, we repaired the rotator cuff and the type II SLAP lesion (group 1). In the other 32 patients, we repaired the rotator cuff and tenotomized the long head of the biceps (group 2). Seven patients (2 in group 1 and 5 in group 2) were lost to final follow-up. Results At a minimum 2.9 years’ follow-up, statistically significant differences were seen with respect to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) score and range of motion values. In group 1 (SLAP repair and rotator cuff repair), the UCLA showed a statistically significant improvement from a preoperative average rating of 10.4 (range, 6–14) to an average of 27.9 (range, 24–35) postoperatively (P < .001). In group 2 (biceps tenotomy and rotator cuff repair), the UCLA showed a statistically significant improvement from a preoperative average rating of 10.1 (range, 5–14) to an average of 32.1 (range, 30–35) postoperatively (P < .001) There was a statistically significant difference in total postoperative UCLA scores and range of motion when comparing the 2 groups postoperatively (P < .05). Conclusions There are no advantages in repairing a type II SLAP lesion when associated with a rotator cuff tear in patients over 50 years of age. The association of rotator cuff repair and biceps tenotomy provides better clinical outcome compared with repair of the type II SLAP lesion and the rotator cuff.

Arthroscopic Salvage of Failed Arthroscopic Bankart Repair: A Prospective Study with a Minimum Follow-up of 4 Years

Background Data on arthroscopic salvage of failed arthroscopic Bankart repair are lacking. Purpose To prospectively evaluate the surgical outcome of arthroscopic salvage of failed arthroscopic Bankart repair. Study Design Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods Operations were performed on 10 patients (8 male and 2 female; mean age at revision, 25.6 years; range, 18-41 years). The mean interval from the time of the revision surgery to the final follow-up was 68 months (range, 46-83 months). Objective testing included preoperative and postoperative range of motion. Outcome measures included the rating system of the University of California at Los Angeles. The surgical procedure was performed in a consistent manner: capsular plications, suture anchor repair of the displaced labrum, and, when indicated, rotator interval closure. Results The University of California at Los Angeles rating system showed a statistically significant improvement from a preoperative mean rating of 11.7 (range, 6-14) to a mean of 31.7 (range, 29-35) postoperatively (P < .05). All patients had a full and equal postoperative range of motion compared with the preoperative range of motion. One patient experienced recurrent dislocations after the salvage procedure. None of the other 9 patients experienced a recurrent dislocation, with all returning to their previous sports levels. Conclusion Arthroscopic Bankart revision surgery is a reliable procedure with respect to recurrence rate, range of motion, and shoulder function in carefully selected patients.

Soft tissue tenodesis of the long head of the biceps tendon associated to the Roman Bridge repair

BackgroundRotator cuff tears are frequently associated with pathologies of the long head of the biceps tendon (LHBT). Tenotomy and tenodesis of the LHBT are commonly used to manage disorders of the LHBT.MethodsWe present an arthroscopic soft tissue LHBT tenodesis associated with a Roman Bridge (double pulley – suture bridges) repairResultsTwo medial row 5.5-mm Bio-Corkscrew suture anchors (Arthrex, Naples, FL), double-loaded with No. 2 FiberWire sutures (Arthrex, Naples, FL), are placed in the medial aspect of the footprint. A shuttle is passed through an anterior point of the rotator cuff and through the LHBT by means of a Penetrator or a BirdBeak suture passer (Arthrex, Naples, FL). A tenotomy of the LHBT is performed. All the sutures from the anteromedial anchor are passed through a single anterior point in the rotator cuff using a shuttle technique. All the sutures from the posteromedial anchor are passed through a single posterior point in the rotator cuff. The sutures in the medial row are tied using the double pulley technique. A suture limb is retrieved from each of the medial anchors and manually tied as a six-throw surgeons knot over a metal rod. The two free suture limbs are pulled to transport the knot over the top of the tendon bridge. The two free suture limbs are then used to produce suture bridges over the tendon, using a Pushlock (Arthrex, Naples, FL), placed 1 cm distal to the lateral edge of the footprint. The same double pulley – suture bridges technique is repeated for the other two suture limbs from the two medial anchors.ConclusionThis technique allows to perform a double pulley – suture bridges repair for a rotator cuff tear, associated with a soft tissue tenodesis for the management of LHBT pathology. The tenodesis of the LHBT is performed just with the passage of a shuttle inside the LHBT, after passing it through the anterior portion of the rotator cuff, with successive detachment of the LHBT from the glenoid. It is a technically easy procedure which can be performed relatively quickly, and does not require additional fixation.

Remplissage Repair—New Frontiers in the Prevention of Recurrent Shoulder Instability A 2-Year Follow-up Comparative Study

Background: An engaging Hill-Sachs lesion is a defect of the humeral head, large enough to cause locking of the humeral head against the anterior corner of the glenoid rim when the arm is at 90° of abduction and more than 30° of external rotation. Hypothesis: When Bankart lesions are associated with engaging Hill-Sachs defects, simultaneous Bankart repair and remplissage provide lower recurrence rates than does Bankart repair alone. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Fifty patients (36 men, 14 women) with combined engaging Hill-Sachs and Bankart lesions were evaluated, before and after arthroscopic management, at a minimum follow-up of 2 years. After imaging and arthroscopic assessment, 25 patients underwent remplissage and Bankart repair, and 25 patients received Bankart repair alone. Patients were evaluated using the UCLA, Constant, and Rowe scores, and range of motion was measured using a goniometer. Postoperatively, all patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging to assess the status of healing of the anterior labrum and whether the tenodesis of the infraspinatus covered the Hill-Sachs defect. Results: At the last appointment, active forward elevation, external rotation beside the body, internal rotation, and all administered scores were significantly improved compared with baseline assessment, with no statistically significant intergroup differences. A new posttraumatic dislocation occurred in 5 patients, all from the Bankart-only group (20%). Conclusion: Remplissage is a safe, relatively short procedure that allows the surgeon to address large humeral defects with a low postoperative recurrence rate. Humeral head large defects predispose to recurrent instability of the shoulder and deserve surgical management.

Arthroscopic management of calcific tendinitis of the subscapularis tendon

Calcific tendinitis is a common disorder of the rotator cuff. Conservative treatment is frequently successful. For the patients remaining symptomatic after conservative treatment, excision of the calcium deposits offers a generally reliable pain relief. While calcific tendinitis is seen commonly affecting the supraspinatus tendon, it has been rarely reported involving the subscapularis tendon. We report on the clinical features, radiographic findings, arthroscopic treatment and results of one patient who presented a calcific tendonitis involving the subscapularis tendon of the left shoulder unresponsive to conservative treatment and associated subcoracoid stenosis and coracoid impingement.

The Roman Bridge: a "double pulley - suture bridges" technique for rotator cuff repair

BackgroundWith advances in arthroscopic surgery, many techniques have been developed to increase the tendon-bone contact area, reconstituting a more anatomic configuration of the rotator cuff footprint and providing a better environment for tendon healing.MethodsWe present an arthroscopic rotator cuff repair technique which uses suture bridges to optimize rotator cuff tendon-footprint contact area and mean pressure.ResultsTwo medial row 5.5-mm Bio-Corkscrew suture anchors (Arthrex, Naples, FL), which are double-loaded with No. 2 FiberWire sutures (Arthrex, Naples, FL), are placed in the medial aspect of the footprint. Two suture limbs from a single suture are both passed through a single point in the rotator cuff. This is performed for both anchors. The medial row sutures are tied using the double pulley technique. A suture limb is retrieved from each of the medial anchors through the lateral portal, and manually tied as a six-throw surgeons knot over a metal rod. The two free suture limbs are pulled to transport the knot over the top of the tendon bridge. Then the two free suture limbs that were used to pull the knot down are tied. The end of the sutures are cut. The same double pulley technique is repeated for the other two suture limbs from the two medial anchors, but the two free suture limbs are used to produce suture bridges over the tendon, by means of a Pushlock (Arthrex, Naples, FL), placed 1 cm distal to the lateral edge of the footprint.ConclusionThis technique maximizes the advantages of two techniques. On the one hand, the double pulley technique provides an extremely secure fixation in the medial aspect of the footprint. On the other hand, the suture bridges allow to improve pressurized contact area and mean footprint pressure. In this way, the bony footprint in not compromised by the distal-lateral fixation, and it is thus possible to share the load between fixation points. This maximizes the strength of the repair and provides a barrier preventing penetration of synovial fluid into the healing area of tendon and bone.

Synthetic augmentation in massive rotator cuff tears.

Massive rotator cuff tears represent a great challenge in orthopaedic. They are associated with persistent defects, weakness, and poor outcomes and can cause an uncoupling of forces across the glenohumeral joint, with unstable shoulder kinematics. In the last few years, a notable interest has emerged to develop new treatment strategies that provide effective mechanical reinforcement of rotator cuff repair and stimulate and enhance the patients intrinsic healing potential. Tissue engineering techniques using novel scaffold materials offer potential alternatives for managing massive irreparable rotator cuff tears. Synthetic scaffolds, manufactured from chemical compounds, have gained much interest to bridge massive rotator cuff tears. Preliminary studies support the idea that synthetic scaffolds can provide an alternative for rotator cuff augmentation with an enormous therapeutic potential. Despite the growing clinical use of synthetic scaffold devices for rotator cuff repair, there are numerous questions related to their indication, surgical application, safety, mechanism of action, and efficacy that remain to be clarified or addressed. We review the current basic science and clinical understanding of synthetic scaffolds for massive rotator cuff repair, reporting the preclinical and clinical studies carried out to date in this field. We underline the benefits and limitations of the available synthetic scaffolds for augmentation of rotator cuff tears, and discuss the implications of these literature data on the future directions for the use of these scaffolds in tendon repair procedures.

Osteoarthritis: new insights in animal models.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most frequent and symptomatic health problem in the middle-aged and elderly population, with over one-half of all people over the age of 65 showing radiographic changes in painful knees. The aim of the present study was to perform an overview on the available animal models used in the research field on the OA. Discrepancies between the animal models and the human disease are present. As regards human ‘idiopathic’ OA, with late onset and slow progression, it is perhaps wise not to be overly enthusiastic about animal models that show severe chondrodysplasia and very early OA. Advantage by using genetically engineered mouse models, in comparison with other surgically induced models, is that molecular etiology is known. Find potential molecular markers for the onset of the disease and pay attention to the role of gender and environmental factors should be very helpful in the study of mice that acquire premature OA. Surgically induced destabilization of joint is the most widely used induction method. These models allow the temporal control of disease induction and follow predictable progression of the disease. In animals, ACL transection and meniscectomy show a speed of onset and severity of disease higher than in humans after same injury.

Tissue engineered strategies for pseudoarthrosis.

Numerous classification systems of non-union have been proposed based on: presence or absence of infection, radiographic features, clinical findings, biologic activity, location and shape. The management of pseudarthrosis is strongly related to the type of non-union (infected versus uninfected, atrophic versus hypertrophic). Surgical management of pseudarthrosis is generally effective with a success rate ranging from 75 to 100%. Nevertheless, in a relatively high number of instances several combined treatments are required for the fracture healing. The current gold standard to stimulate the bone regeneration is represented by the revision surgery with the application of autologous bone grafts. However, several approaches have been described to promote and enhance the bone tissue regeneration, including extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT), ultrasound, electromagnetic, bone morphogenic proteins (BMPs) and platelet-rich-plasma (PRP). The aim of the present study was to perform a systematic review of the literature evaluating the current therapies to promote and enhance the bone tissue healing. The systematic review was performed according to PRISMA guidelines with a PRISMA checklist and algorithm. Limitations of the present systematic review are mainly related to the scanty quality of the studies available in the literature. Although the therapies previously described for the management of patients with non-unions seems to be effective, the limitations of the included studies, especially the extensive clinical heterogeneity, make not possible to provide clear recommendations regarding the application of these approaches. The problems remain the need to better understand the most effective treatment options, subject to surgical stabilization as a first step.

Arthroscopic Removal of an Intraarticular Osteoid Osteoma of the Distal Tibia

Intraarticular osteoid osteomas can simulate several other traumatic or degenerative pathologies of the joint with delay in diagnosis. We report the clinical features, radiographic and histopathological findings, the technical aspects of arthroscopic excision, and results of surgery in a 28-year-old woman who had an intraarticular osteoid osteoma of her left ankle, in whom the initial diagnosis was erroneous and delayed 1 year. Arthroscopy allowed minimally invasive complete excision of the osteoid osteoma, with a short postoperative rehabilitation and excellent functional results.