[Treatment of anterior cruciate ligament tibial avulsion fracture involving anterior root of lateral meniscus with wire anchor nailing composite double pulley technique].

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effectiveness of knee arthroscopy with wire anchor nailing composite double pulley technique in the treatment of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tibial avulsion fracture involving the anterior root of the lateral meniscus (LM).

METHODS

Clinical data of 35 patients with ACL tibial avulsion fracture involving the anterior root of the LM admitted between January 2019 and September 2023 and met the selection criteria were retrospectively analysed. There were 20 males and 15 females; ages ranged from 10 to 57 years, with a mean of 29 years. The time from injury to surgery ranged from 3 to 20 days, with a mean of 9.6 days. Meyers-McKeever classification included 5 cases of type Ⅱ, 12 cases of type Ⅲ, and 18 cases of type Ⅳ. Preoperative anterior knee instability Lachman test and anterior drawer test were positive. The anterior root of the LM as well as the avulsion fracture block were fixed using suture anchor nails compounded with double pulley technique under arthroscopy. Postoperative X-ray films were performed to assess fracture healing; knee stability was assessed using the anterior drawer test and Lachman test, anterior laxity of the knee was measured by KT-2000, and knee function was assessed using the Lysholm score and the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score; at last follow-up, the recovery of the meniscus was assessed using the McMurry test and knee hyperextension test.

RESULTS

All the patients were successfully operated, the operation time ranged from 56 to 78 minutes,with an average of 67.6 minutes, and there was no nerve or blood vessel injury during operation. Thirty-five cases were followed up 12-18 months with an average of 15.1 months. During the follow-up, there was no infection, knee stiffness, loosening of internal fixation, fracture displacement, or re-fracture. The fractures all healed, with a clinical healing time of 8-15 weeks, averaging 10.9 weeks. At last follow-up, 4 patients had weakly positive anterior drawer test and Lachman test, and the rest were negative; McMurry test and knee hyperextension test were negative; no patient complained of knee extension pain or straightening obstacles, and all the patients resumed their normal life or sports and labour; 16 patients with unclosed epiphyses did not have any epiphyseal injuries or growth disorders. Lysholm score, IKDC score, and KT-2000 anterior knee laxity at last follow-up significantly improved when compared with preoperative ones ( P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

The treatment of ACL tibial avulsion fracture involving the anterior root of the LM with suture anchor composite double pulley technique can effectively fix the anterior root of the LM while fixing the avulsion fracture block, and better restore the function and stability of the knee joint.