[Arthroscopic GraftLink technique reconstruction combined with suture anchor fixation for anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament injuries].

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effectiveness of arthroscopic GraftLink technique reconstruction combined with suture anchor fixation in treatment of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture and medial collateral ligament (MCL) grade Ⅲ injury.

METHODS

Between June 2015 and February 2018, 28 patients with ACL rupture and MCL grade Ⅲ injury were treated. Arthroscopic GraftLink technique was used to reconstruct ACL with autologous peroneus longus tendon (PLT), and suture anchor fixation was used to repair MCL. There were 22 males and 6 females, aged 21-47 years, with an average age of 30.4 years. The cause of injury included traffic accident in 18 cases, falling from height in 7 cases, and sports injury in 3 cases. The time from injury to admission was 1-2 weeks, with an average of 1.3 weeks. The preoperative Lysholm score of knee joint was 46.8±3.0 and the International Knee Documentation Commission (IKDC) score was 49.2±2.7. The American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) score of ankle joint was 98.29±0.72. Both Lachman test and valgus stress test were positive. There were 8 cases of meniscus injury and 2 cases of cartilage injury.

RESULTS

The operation time ranged from 55 to 90 minutes, with an average of 72.5 minutes. All incisions healed by first intention after operation, and no complications related to operation occurred. All patients were followed up 6-38 months, with an average of 20.7 months. At 3 months after operation, the range of motion of the knee joint was 116- 132°, with an average of 122°. Lachman test showed that the anterior translation more than 5 mm in 2 cases, and the others were negative; while the valgus stress test showed that all patients were positive. At 6 months after operation, the Lysholm score and IKDC score of knee joint were 90.2±1.8 and 93.5±2.3, respectively, which were significantly higher than preoperative scores ( t=31.60, P=0.00; t=29.91, P=0.01); AOFAS score of ankle joint was 97.86±0.68, with no significant difference compared with preoperative score ( t=2.89, P=0.08). KT-1000 test showed that the difference of anterior relaxation between bilateral knee joints was less than 2 mm in 25 cases and 3 to 5 mm in 3 cases.

CONCLUSION

The method of ACL reconstruction via arthroscopic GraftLink technique with PLT and MCL repair via suture anchor fixation has the advantages of less knee injury and faster recovery, and there is no significant impact on ankle function after tendon removal.