Arthroscopic suture bridge technique versus arthroscopic tie knot technique for tibial avulsion fractures of the anterior cruciate ligament: comparison of short-term outcomes
10.3760/cma.j.cn115530-20250112-00015
- VernacularTitle:关节镜下缝线桥技术与领带结技术治疗前交叉韧带胫骨止点撕脱骨折的短期疗效比较
- Author:
Zhe LIU
1
;
Jing GUO
;
Haoxin LI
;
Aiping HU
;
Jian CHEN
Author Information
1. 内蒙古乌海市人民医院运动医学科，乌海 016000
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Anterior cruciate ligament;
Tibial fractures;
Knee injuries;
Arthroscopy;
Fracture fixation
- From:
Chinese Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma
2025;27(8):650-657
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:To compare the short-term outcomes of arthroscopic suture bridge technique versus those of arthroscopic tie knot technique in the treatment of tibial avulsion fractures of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).Methods:A retrospective study was conducted to analyze the 53 patients with ACL tibial avulsion fracture who had been treated arthroscopically at Department of Sports Medicine, Wuhai People's Hospital between February 2018 and February 2024. There were 31 males and 22 females, with an age of (48.2±5.1) years. The left knee was affected in 27 cases and the right knee in 26 cases. According to the Meyers-Mckeever classification, 32 cases were of type Ⅱ and 21 cases of type Ⅲ. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to different fixation methods: 20 cases were fixed by the arthroscopic tie knot technique (the tie knot group) and 33 cases by the arthroscopic suture bridge technique (the suture bridge group). The operation time and fracture healing time were recorded and compared between the 2 groups. At preoperation, 3 and 6 months after operation, and the last follow-up, the knee pain was evaluated by visual analogue scale (VAS) pain score, the knee stability (side to side disparity) by a KT-1000 arthrometer, and the knee function by The International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) subjective score, Lysholm score, knee range of motion, and activities of daily living (ADL) scale. Comparisons were made between and within the 2 groups.Results:The differences in the general preoperative data were not statistically significant between the 2 groups, indicating comparability ( P>0.05). The tie knot group and the suture bridge group were followed up respectively for (13.9±2.1) and (14.5±2.1) months. The surgical time for the suture bridge group [(66.9±8.4) min] was significantly longer than that for the tie knot group [(51.2±6.3) min] ( P<0.05). At 3 months after operation, the VAS pain score [(1.2±0.2) points], side to side disparity [(2.5±0.6) mm], IKDC subjective score [(89.6±1.6) points], Lysholm score [(88.0±1.4) points], knee range of motion (132.1°±2.1°), and ADL score [(88.8±3.3) points] in the suture bridge group were significantly better than those in the tie knot group [(2.1±0.3) points, (3.0±0.9) mm, (87.0±1.4) points, (84.0±1.6) points, 102.1°±2.1°, and (80.3±3.4) points] ( P<0.05). However, there were no significant differences in VAS pain score, side to side disparity, IKDC subjective score, Lysholm score, knee range of motion or ADL score between the 2 groups at 6 months after operation or at the last follow-up ( P>0.05). Statistically significant differences were observed between all time points for VAS pain scores, side-to-side disparity, IKDC subjective scores, Lysholm scores, knee range of motion, and ADL scores in all patients ( P<0.05). No incision infection, nerve injury or other complications occurred in the 2 groups after operation. Conclusions:Both arthroscopic suture bridge technique and arthroscopic tie knot technique are safe and effective intervention options for avulsion fractures of the ACL tibial insertion. The suture bridge technique, with its stable biomechanical properties, can significantly accelerate the process of early postoperative knee function recovery to shorten the recovery period. However, it requires longer surgical time.
