Anterior cruciate ligament repair with Independent Suture Tape Reinforcement: a case series with 2-year follow-up

• DOI: 10.1007/s00167-018-5239-1
• Publication Date: 2018-10-31T08:19:02Z
• Authors: Christiaan H. W. ...; Graeme P. Hopper; Lieven Dossche; Ella Roelant; Gordon M. Mackay
• Keywords: Adult; Male; Adolescent; Economics; Knee Injuries; Young Adult; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; Sociology; Activities of Daily Living; Humans; Postoperative Period; Prospective Studies; Anterior Cruciate Ligament; Surgical Tape; Pain Measurement; Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction; Sutures; Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries; Middle Aged; Osteoarthritis, Knee; Athletic Injuries; Female; Human medicine; Follow-Up Studies

The treatment of acute anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures with a repair technique has recently regained interest. A novel ACL repair technique was described using Independent Suture Tape Reinforcement with 2-year follow-up results.Forty-two consecutive patients with an acute ACL rupture undergoing repair using this technique were followed up for a minimum of 2 years. Patients with mid-substance, distal ACL ruptures, poor ACL tissue quality or retracted ACL remnants as well as patients with multi-ligament injuries were excluded. Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), Visual Analogue Pain Scale (VAS-pain), Veterans RAND 12 Item Health Survey (VR-12) and the Marx Activity scale were collected by online questionnaires. Two-year postoperative patients were asked by telephone if they had experienced a rerupture.All the KOOS subscales improved significantly in comparison to the preoperative score. The largest improvement of all scores was seen at 3 months postoperatively which is significant in all cases. The KOOS sport and recreation showed a meaningful change and the largest improvement of the KOOS subscales at 3 months postoperatively, as well as the highest total improvement at 1 year postoperatively compared to preoperatively. The VAS-pain and VR-12 physical score improved significantly, however the Marx activity scale decreased significantly in comparison to preoperative scores. Two patients reported a rerupture (4.8%, CI 1.7-11.2%).This is the first case series that described the 2-year follow-up results of patients with an acute, proximal ACL rupture, treated with the Independent Suture Tape Reinforcement repair technique. A meaningful KOOS sport and recreation change and significant improvements in the KOOS, VAS-pain and VR-12 physical scores as well as a significant decrease of the Marx activity scale in comparison to preoperative scores are demonstrated. Two of the 42 patients (4.8%) reported an ACL rerupture. Repair with this technique could be clinically relevant as a treatment option for patients with an acute, proximal ACL rupture which is not retracted and of good tissue quality.IV.