OBJECTIVETo compare the long-term outcomes of arthroscopy and non-surgical therapy in patients with knee synovial plica syndrome (SPS).

METHODSThirty-one patients with knee SPS undergoing arthroscopic surgery and 27 SPS patients undergoing conservative treatment with articular cavity injection of sodium hyaluronate (control group) were compared for visual pain score (VAS) and the Lysholm score before and after the operation. The patients were followed-up for more than 5 years, and the long-term outcomes were compared using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis.

RESULTSs VAS and the Lysholm scores in both groups were significantly lowered after treatment (P<0.05). The postoperative VAS score was significantly lower while the Lysholm score significantly higher in arthroscopic surgery group than in the control group (P<0.05). Arithmetic mean and the median time of curative effect maintenance were 49 and 43 months in arthroscopic surgery group, as compared with 33 and 29 months in the control group, respectively; the cumulative effect maintenance rate in arthroscopic surgery group was significantly higher than that in the control group (Χ2=4.933, P=4.933).

CONCLUSIONArthroscopic treatment produces better therapeutic effect on knee joint SPS and ensures longer long-term therapeutic effect maintenance than conservative treatment.

Adult ; Arthroscopy ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hyaluronic Acid ; administration & dosage ; Injections, Intra-Articular ; Joint Diseases ; surgery ; Knee Joint ; pathology ; surgery ; Male ; Pain, Postoperative ; Postoperative Period ; Synovectomy ; Synovial Membrane ; pathology ; Treatment Outcome

An unusual grayish brown discoloration of the synovium was found during a knee arthroscopy of a 72-year-old man. He also had similar pigmentation affecting the skin on the legs, arms, hands, and face. It was found he had been taking 400 mg of amiodarone hydrochloride daily for last 7 years. Amiodarone is known to cause a slate grey pigmentation of skin and cornea, but we believe this is the first report of amiodarone-induced pigmentation of the synovium. The arthroscopist should be aware of the possibility of drug-related synovial pigmentation and include this in differential diagnosis.
Aged ; Amiodarone/*adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Anti-Arrhythmia Agents/*adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac/complications/drug therapy ; Arthroscopy ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Humans ; Knee Joint/surgery ; Male ; Pigmentation Disorders/*chemically induced/*diagnosis ; Skin/pathology ; Synovial Membrane/*pathology

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to investigate and analyze bilateral incidence and morphology of complete discoid lateral meniscus (DLM) with possible relation to tears and symptoms in knee joints. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-eight consecutive patients with symptomatic or already-torn complete DLM on magnetic resonance imaging in a unilateral knee underwent diagnostic arthroscopy on both knee joints upon agreement. The presence and shape of complete DLM as well as presence and pattern of tear were recorded accordingly. RESULTS: In total, 89.5% (34 of 38 patients) showed bilateral complete DLM, and 84.2% yielded bilateralism with identical shape. Cape-slab was the most frequent shape, comprising 68.8% of patients with identically-shaped bilateral DLM overall. Tear patterns were more frequent, in the order of longitudinal, simple horizontal, radial, and degenerative; however, the morphological shape of complete DLM was not significantly related to tear incidence or pattern. Meniscus tears and knee symptoms occurred in the contralateral knee with incidences of 32.4% and 26.5% in patients with bilateral complete DLM, respectively. CONCLUSION: Based on these findings, more aggressive warning on the presence of discoid pathology and the need for evaluation on the contralateral knee should be considered during consultation with patients with symptomatic complete DLM in a unilateral knee in the outpatient clinic.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Arthroscopy/*methods ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Knee Joint/*pathology ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods ; Male ; Menisci, Tibial/*injuries/surgery ; Middle Aged ; Musculoskeletal Abnormalities/complications/diagnosis/epidemiology/*surgery ; Retrospective Studies ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo explore selection and method of tissue flaps for the repair of severe defects of skin and soft tissue around the knee joints.

METHODSFifty-four patients with wounds around the knee joints, all accompanied by exposure or necrosis of tendon or bone and exposure of prosthesis, were hospitalized in our burn center from June 2008 to December 2014. Five of them were with knee joint injury. After thorough debridement or tumor resection, the wound area ranged from 5 cm × 5 cm to 46 cm × 22 cm. Three patients were repaired with free latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flaps, 7 were repaired with modified sartorius myocutaneous flaps, 8 were repaired with gastrocnemius myocutaneous flaps, one was repaired with gastrocnemius muscle flap, two were repaired with posterior leg flaps combined with gastrocnemius muscle flaps, one was repaired with femoral biceps muscle flap combined with gastrocnemius muscle flap, 13 were repaired with reverse anterolateral thigh island flaps, two were repaired with reverse anterolateral thigh island flap combined with gastrocnemius myocutaneous flaps, two were repaired with superior lateral genicular flaps, 4 were repaired with reverse posterior thigh island flaps, 11 were repaired with saphenous artery flaps. Patellar ligament was reconstructed in 4 patients. The tissue flap size ranged from 5 cm × 5 cm to 38 cm × 19 cm. Some donor sites were sutured directly, and the others were closed by split-thickness skin grafting obtained from ipsilateral or contralateral legs.

RESULTSAmong 59 tissue flaps of 54 patients, 55 tissue flaps of 50 patients survived, while necrosis of the distal part was observed in 4 tissue flaps, including one saphenous artery flap, two reverse anterolateral thigh island flaps, and one free latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap. Among them, 3 flaps with necrosis at the distal part healed after debridement followed by skin grafting, one myocutaneous flap healed by transplanting gastrocnemius myocutaneous flap. During the follow-up period of 6 to 36 months, the tissue flaps were in good appearance and texture, and knee joint function was good in most cases. In 4 patients the knee joint function was satisfactory after patellar ligament reconstruction, while stiffness was observed in 4 out of 5 patients with knee joint injury.

CONCLUSIONSFree latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flaps are preferred to repair extensive defects around the knee joints. Reverse anterolateral thigh island flaps followed by saphenous artery flaps are preferred to repair wounds around the anterior knee. Wounds of the lateral knee are mainly repaired with reverse anterolateral thigh island flaps, and for small wounds the use of the superior lateral genicular flaps may be considered. Wounds of the medial knee can be repaired with modified sartorius myocutaneous flaps or saphenous artery flaps. Wounds of the posterior knee can be repaired with reverse posterior thigh island flaps or superior lateral genicular flaps. Wounds with severe infection or large space can be repaired with gastrocnemius myocutaneous flaps or muscle flaps or modified sartorius myocutaneous flaps. Anterolateral thigh flaps and gastrocnemius myocutaneous flaps are preferred in cases with indication of patellar ligament reconstruction.

Debridement ; Humans ; Knee Injuries ; surgery ; Knee Joint ; pathology ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Necrosis ; Reconstructive Surgical Procedures ; methods ; Skin Transplantation ; Soft Tissue Injuries ; surgery ; Surgical Flaps ; Treatment Outcome ; Wound Healing

Acute Disease ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee ; adverse effects ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Humans ; Knee Joint ; pathology ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pyoderma Gangrenosum ; diagnosis ; Skin ; pathology ; Surgical Wound Infection ; diagnosis

OBJECTIVETo compare the difference of anterior knee pain after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) between the ways using periosteal dissector and electric scalpel to release medial collateral ligament and pes anserinus.

METHODSFrom September 2009 to September 2012, 220 patients with unilateral osteoarthritis were treated with primary TKA in hospital 301. All the patients were randomly divided into periosteal dissector group (110 cases) or electric scalpel group (110 cases). In the periosteal dissector group, there were 47 males and 63 females,with an average age of (58.8 +/- 17.2) years old; the degree of genuavarus was (14.0 +/- 3.5) degrees; the weight was (65.6 +/- 12.8) kg; the body mass index (BMI) was (26.6 +/- 3.6) kg/m2. In the electric scalpel group,there were 49 males and 61 females,with an average age of (59.6 +/- 16.7) years old;the degree of genuavarus was (15.0 +/- 4.7) degrees; the weight was (66.4 +/- 13.4) kg; the BMI was (27.4 +/- 4.1) kg/m2. The mean follow-up period was 24.6 months. The AKS, VAS and HSS were used to evaluate clinical results.

RESULTSAll incisions healed at the first stage;no deep vein thrombosis of lower limbs or pulmonary embolism occurred. Knee infection occurred in 3 cases (1 in the periosteal dissector group and 2 in the electric scalpel group), and the 3 patients received stage 2 total knee revision using antibiotic bone cement and TC3 prosthesis. No recurrence of infection occurred during follow-up. Among the 20 patients who had anterior knee pain, 16 patients were in the periosteal dissector group and 4 patients were in the electric scalpel group. The occurrence rate of anterior knee pain in the electric scalpel group was lower than that in the periosteal dissector group. The AKS knee score and HSS score after total knee arthroplasty in the electric scalpel group were all higher than those in the periosteal dissector group, and the VAS in electric scalpel group was lower than that of periosteal dossector group.

CONCLUSIONCompared with using electric scalpel,using periosteal dissector used to release medial collateral ligament and pes anserinus may cause more anterior knee pain after total knee arthroplasty.

Adult ; Aged ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee ; adverse effects ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Knee Joint ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pain, Postoperative ; etiology ; Tibia ; pathology ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

This study sought to demonstrate bone mineral density (BMD) conditions in elderly female patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA). In addition, we sought to determine whether their BMD conditions differ from those of community-based females without knee OA. Finally we sought to determine whether clinical statuses are related to BMD in the knee OA patients. BMD conditions in 347 female patients undergoing TKA and 273 community-based females were evaluated. Additionally, comparative analyses of BMD between age and body mass index-matched knee OA groups (n=212) and the control groups (n=212) were performed. In the pre-matched knee OA group, regression analyses were performed to determine whether preoperative clinical statuses were related to BMD. Considerable prevalence of coexistent osteoporosis (31%) was found in the pre-matched knee OA patients undergoing TKA. We found no significant differences of the BMD T-scores and the prevalence of osteoporosis between the age and body mass index-matched knee OA and control groups. In the pre-matched knee OA patients, poorer preoperative clinical scores were related to poorer BMD T-scores in the proximal femur and/or lumbar spine. Our study suggests that more attention should be paid to identify and treat osteoporosis in elderly female patients with advanced knee OA undergoing TKA.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; *Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee ; Body Mass Index ; Bone Density ; Female ; Humans ; Knee Joint/pathology/surgery ; Osteoarthritis, Knee/*epidemiology/*surgery ; Osteoporosis/*epidemiology

OBJECTIVETo study soft tissue changes observed through musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis with needle-knife, so as to provide MSUS basis for needle-knife in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis.

METHODSForty patients with knee osteoarthritis treated in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine from December 2011 to December 2012 were selected according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. All the patients were treated with needle-knife release method. The VAS scores and knee joint circumference were recorded before treatment and 2 weeks after treatment. The changes of knee joint hydrops articuli and joint synovial thickness were measured through MSUS.

RESULTSThe knee pain index was 6.850 +/- 1.417 before treatment and 2.790 +/- 1.299 after treatment;the index after treatment was lower than that of before treatment. The knee joint circumference was 407.320 +/- 45.151 mm before treatment and 391.240 +/- 41.129 mm after treatment; the knee joint circumference decreased after treatment. The amount of hydrops articuli observed by musculoskeletal ultrasound showed that 47 knees were cured, 19 knees improved and 2 knees failed. The synovial membrane thickness: 43 knees cured, 17 knees improved and 8 knees failed.

CONCLUSIONThe hydrops articuli and synovial thickness of knee joint of patients with knee osteoarthritis observed under the MSUS is consistent with the main symptoms and signs, which suggests that MSUS observation on soft tissue changes before and after needle knife in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis with high reliability.

Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Knee Joint ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Needles ; Osteoarthritis, Knee ; complications ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; surgery ; Pain ; complications ; Synovial Membrane ; pathology ; Treatment Outcome ; Ultrasonography

OBJECTIVETo determine whether anterior knee pain and/or radiological evidences of degeneration of the patellofemoral joint influence the outcome of unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA).

METHODSBetween January 2006 and December 2010, 95 consecutive patients (100 knees) with unicompartmental knee osteoarthritis were treated with Oxford UKA, including 34 males and 61 females. The mean age was 68.2 years (range, 55-82 years). The average Body Mass Index was 26.3 kg/m(2)(range, 24-28 kg/m(2)). Pre-operative there were 43 knees (43.0%) with anterior knee pain and 57 knees (57.0%) without it. Pre-operative radiological status of the patellefemoral joint were defined using Ahlback and Altman systems. The pre- and post-operative results of Oxford Knee Score (OKS), American Knee Society Score (AKS) and Western Ontario and Macmaster (WOMAC) were compared using paired t-test, the results between different groups were compared using grouped t-test.

RESULTSAll cases were followed up for average 50 months (24-84 months). At the last follow-up, none had complications of infection, fat embolism, deep vein thrombosis, malposition of prosthesis, dislocation or loosing. The mean femoral component alignment was -0.7° ± 5.2° (valgus/varus), -0.8° ± 4.5°(flexion/extension); the mean tibial component alignment was -0.1° ± 2.2°(valgus/varus), -0.4° ± 2.4° (flexion/extension). The clinical outcomes were significantly improved compared with pre-operation regardless of presence (OKS: t = 19.04, P < 0.01; AKS knee:t = 38.56, P < 0.01;AKS function:t = 39.29, P < 0.01;WOMAC:t = 43.22, P < 0.01) or absence (OKS: t = 31.57, P < 0.01; AKS knee:t = 40.34, P < 0.01; AKS function:t = 43.62, P < 0.01; WOMAC: t = 47.06, P < 0.01) of anterior knee pain. The results were significantly improved compared with pre-operation (P < 0.01) regardless of whether degeneration of the patellofemoral joint. There was no statistically significant difference in outcome between patients with evidence of degeneration in the medial patellofemoral joint and those without (P > 0.05) . Patients with lateral patellofemoral degeneration had a worse score than those without, OKS (t = 2.56, P = 0.01) and WOMAC (t = 2.20, P = 0.03) by the Altman score, OKS (t = 2.29, P = 0.02) by the Ahlback score. For AKS measures there was no statistically significant difference in outcome (P > 0.05) .

CONCLUSIONSNeither anterior knee pain nor radiological evidence of medial patellofemoral joint degeneration would influnence the outcome of UKA, lateral patellofemoral joint degeneration have an increased risk of a poor result.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Arthralgia ; pathology ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Osteoarthritis, Knee ; surgery ; Patellofemoral Joint ; pathology ; Treatment Outcome

Intra-articular haemangioma is a rare and uncommon condition that sometimes presents in infants. The lesion can be a diagnostic challenge, with misdiagnosis often leading to delayed diagnosis and treatment. It is essential to establish and treat the condition early, as intra-articular haemangioma can lead to destruction of the joint and secondary arthrosis. Herein, we report the case of a five-year-old boy who presented with intra-articular haemangioma and discuss the management of his condition.
Arthralgia ; physiopathology ; Biopsy, Needle ; Child, Preschool ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemangioma ; diagnosis ; pathology ; surgery ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Joint Capsule ; pathology ; surgery ; Knee Joint ; pathology ; surgery ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; methods ; Male ; Orthopedic Procedures ; methods ; Rare Diseases ; Risk Assessment ; Synovectomy ; Synovial Membrane ; pathology ; Treatment Outcome