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Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate whether cilostazol (phosphodiesterase III inhibitor) could enhance the healing of Achilles tendon ruptures in rats., Materials and Methods: The Achilles tendons of 24 healthy male adult rats were incised and repaired. The rats were randomly allocated to cilostazol and control groups. The cilostazol group received daily intragastric administration of 50 mg/kg cilostazol for 28 days, while the control group did not receive any medication. The rats were sacrificed on the 30th day, and the Achilles tendon was evaluated for biomechanical properties, histopathological characteristics, and immunohistochemical analysis., Results: All rats completed the experiment. The Movin sum score of the control group was significantly higher ( p  = 0.008) than that of the cilostazol group, with means of 11 ± 0.63 and 7.50 ± 1.15, respectively. Similarly, the mean Bonar score was significantly higher ( p  = 0.026) in the control group compared to the cilostazol group (8.33 ± 1.50 vs. 5.5 ± 0.54, respectively). Moreover, the Type I/Type III Collagen ratio was notably higher ( p  = 0.016) in the cilostazol group (52.2 ± 8.4) than in the control group (34.6 ± 10.2). The load to failure was substantially higher in the cilostazol group than in the control group ( p  = 0.034), suggesting that the tendons in the cilostazol group were stronger and exhibited greater resistance to failure., Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that cilostazol treatment significantly improves the biomechanical and histopathological parameters of the healing Achilles tendon in rats. Cilostazol might be a valuable supplementary therapy in treating Achilles tendon ruptures in humans. Additional clinical studies are, however, required to verify these outcomes.

Rotator cuff (RC) and long head of the biceps tendon (LHBT) tears are common shoulder problems presented to the orthopedic clinic. The aim of this study was to assess the association between RC and LHBT tears among a Saudi population sample. A total of 243 patients who were diagnosed with shoulder pain due to RC or LHBT tear between 2016 and 2018 using a magnetic resonance imaging scan were included in this study. Females comprised 66% of the sample, and 59% (n = 143) of the shoulders were on the right side. The mean age of the patients was 58 ± 11 years, ranging from 23 to 88 years. A significant association was detected between the LHBT and RC tears (P < 0.001). Out of 26 cases showing RC and LHBT tears, 81% had a full thickness tear, whereas 19% had a partial tear. The LHBT tears were presented significantly in 48% of cases with at least two completely torn RC compared to 10% in cases with one completely torn RC (P < 0.001). The LHBT tear was significantly observed in shoulders with RC tears including the tendons of subscapularis, supraspinatus, and infraspinatus, but not the teres minor (P < 0.001). Both types of tears were presented significantly in senior patients aged more than 65 years compared to younger patients (P < 0.01). Thus, the LHBT should be assessed carefully in shoulders with more than one RC tear or in chronic cases., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Alraddadi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Clinical/methodological Problem: The rotator cuff is a complex anatomical structure and the integrity is pivotal for the shoulder functionality. The pathologies are often multifactorial, resulting from degenerative, vascular, traumatic and mechanical factors., Radiological Standard Procedures: Radiography, ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) form the pillars of radiological diagnostics. Each modality has specific advantages and limitations in the visualization and assessment of pathologies of the rotator cuff and biceps tendon., Methodological Innovations: The MR arthrography offers additional insights in unclear cases by enhancing the differentiation between complete and partial tears., Performance: The MRI provides detailed information on tendon quality and associated damages, such as muscle atrophy and fat infiltration, making it the preferred method. The use of MR arthrography can identify defects through increased intra-articular pressure or contrast medium leakage., Evaluation: Muscle damage, as induced by edema in acute injuries or fatty degeneration in chronic conditions, can be evaluated using imaging techniques. Special attention is warranted for the infraspinatus, subscapularis and teres minor muscles due to their unique injury patterns and prevalences., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Medizin Verlag GmbH, ein Teil von Springer Nature.)

The concept that the culprit lesion in non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) is caused by sudden plaque rupture with acute thrombus formation has recently been challenged. While angiography is an old gold-standard for culprit identification it merely visualizes the lumen contour. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) provides a detailed view of culprit features. Combined with myocardial edema on cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR), indicating acute ischemia and thus culprit location, we aimed to characterize culprit lesions using OCT. Patients with NSTEMI referred for angiography were prospectively enrolled. OCT was performed on angiographic stenoses ≥50% and on operator-suspected culprit lesions. Hierarchical OCT-culprit identifiers were defined in case of multiple unstable lesions, including OCT-defined thrombus age. An OCT-based definition of an organizing thrombus as corresponding to histological early healing stage was introduced. Lesions were classified as OCT-culprit or non-culprit, and characteristics compared. CMR was performed in a subset of patients. We included 65 patients with 97 lesions, of which 49 patients (75%) had 53 (54%) OCT-culprit lesions. The most common OCT-culprit identifiers were the presence of acute (66%) and organizing thrombus (19%). Plaque rupture was visible in 45% of OCT-culprit lesions. CMR performed in 38 patients revealed myocardial oedema in the corresponding territories of 67% of acute thrombi and 50% of organizing thrombi. A culprit lesion was identified by OCT in 75% patients with NSTEMI. Acute thrombus was the most frequent feature followed by organizing thrombus. Applying specific OCT-criteria to identify the culprit could prove valuable in ambiguous cases., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Aims: Coronary microevaginations (CMEs) represent an outward bulge of coronary plaques and have been introduced as a sign of adverse vascular remodelling following coronary device implantation. However, their role in atherosclerosis and plaque destabilization in the absence of coronary intervention is unknown. This study aimed to investigate CME as a novel feature of plaque vulnerability and to characterize its associated inflammatory cell-vessel-wall interactions., Methods and Results: A total of 557 patients from the translational OPTICO-ACS study programme underwent optical coherence tomography imaging of the culprit vessel and simultaneous immunophenotyping of the culprit lesion (CL). Two hundred and fifty-eight CLs had a ruptured fibrous cap (RFC) and one hundred had intact fibrous cap (IFC) acute coronary syndrome (ACS) as an underlying pathophysiology. CMEs were significantly more frequent in CL when compared with non-CL (25 vs. 4%, P < 0.001) and were more frequently observed in lesions with IFC-ACS when compared with RFC-ACS (55.0 vs. 12.7%, P < 0.001). CMEs were particularly prevalent in IFC-ACS-causing CLs independent of a coronary bifurcation (IFC-ICB) when compared with IFC-ACS with an association to a coronary bifurcation (IFC-ACB, 65.4 vs. 43.7%, P = 0.030). CME emerged as the strongest independent predictor of IFC-ICB (relative risk 3.36, 95% confidence interval 1.67-6.76, P = 0.001) by multivariable regression analysis. IFC-ICB demonstrated an enrichment of monocytes in both culprit blood analysis (culprit ratio: 1.1 ± 0.2 vs. 0.9 ± 0.2, P = 0.048) and aspirated culprit thrombi (326 ± 162 vs. 96 ± 87 cells/mm2, P = 0.017), while IFC-ACB confirmed the accumulation of CD4+ T cells, as recently described., Conclusion: This study provides novel evidence for a pathophysiological involvement of CME in the development of IFC-ACS and provides first evidence for a distinct pathophysiological pathway for IFC-ICB, driven by CME-derived flow disturbances and inflammatory activation involving the innate immune system., Trial Registration: Registration of the study at clinicalTrials.gov (NCT03129503)., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: D.M.L. received lecture honoraria from Amgen, Abbott Vascular, AstraZeneca, and Novo Nordisk. M.J. received consulting fees from Biotronik, TriCares, Veryan, and Shockwave, and is in the Steering Committee of Biotronik and Edwards Lifesciences. T.D.T. received payment honoraria from Novartis, AstraZeneca, Berlin Chemie, Abbott, NeoVasc, and Amgen. U.L. reports lecture and advisory honorary from Abbott. All other authors report no conflicts of interest., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Injuries to the biceps reflection pulley lead to instability of the long head of the biceps tendon (LHBT). However, conventional magnetic resonance (MR) imaging (MRI) has low diagnostic accuracy for LHBT and pulley lesions. Here, we investigated the usefulness of novel biceps-radial MRI for evaluating LHBT and pulley lesions., Methods: Biceps-radial MR images of 84 patients (84 shoulders) were prospectively analyzed. The biceps-radial MRI protocol includes sequences acquired in radial planes perpendicular to the LHBT in the shoulder joint. All patients underwent shoulder arthroscopy, and the intraoperative LHBT and pulley lesion findings were compared to the preoperative evaluations. The diagnostic accuracies of the biceps-radial MR images and conventional MR images were determined., Results: A normal LHBT was observed in 30 (31.6%) patients, partial tears in 43 (52.6%), and complete tears in 11 (15.8%). Normal LHBT stability was present in 54 (61.4%) patients, subluxation in 24 (31.6%), and dislocation in 6 (7.0%). The biceps-radial MR (kappa coefficient: 0.94) and conventional MR (kappa coefficient: 0.68) images accurately identified LHBT tears. The biceps-radial MR images excellently agreed with the arthroscopic findings (kappa coefficient: 0.91), whereas the conventional MR images poorly agreed (kappa coefficient: 0.17) regarding LHBT instability. A normal medial wall of the pulley was observed in 26 (31.0%) patients, partial tears in 30 (35.7%), and complete tears in 28 (33.3%). A normal lateral wall of the pulley was observed in 30 (35.7%) patients, partial tears in 21 (25.0%), and complete tears in 33 (39.3%). The biceps-radial MR images excellently agreed with the arthroscopic findings (kappa coefficient: 0.89), whereas the conventional MR images moderately agreed (kappa coefficient: 0.50) regarding medial pulley lesions. The biceps-radial MR images excellently agreed with the arthroscopic findings (kappa coefficient: 0.95) and the conventional MR images moderately agreed (kappa coefficient: 0.56) regarding lateral pulley lesions., Conclusion: Biceps-radial MRI allows for tracking of the LHBT and pulley from the supraglenoid tuberosity to the bicipital groove in the glenohumeral joint and accurate evaluations of LHBT and pulley lesions., (Copyright © 2023 Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To investigate the surgical outcomes of arthroscopic pull-out repair for medial meniscus root tear (MMRT) combined with the marrow stimulation procedures (MSP) for accompanying high-grade cartilage lesions., Methods: Patients who underwent arthroscopic pull-out repair for MMRT between 2010 and 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients who had at least 3 years of follow-up were included and classified into two groups according to whether MSP (microfracture or microdrilling) were performed on cartilage lesions in the medial tibiofemoral joint (group 1, patients with International Cartilage Repair Society [ICRS] grade 0-3a lesions and did not undergo MSP; group 2, patients with ICRS grade 3b-3d lesions and underwent MSP). Comparative analyses, including non-inferiority trials, were conducted between groups for subjective and objective outcomes. In addition, group 2 was further divided into two subgroups according to cartilage lesion size and compared with group 1 (group S, ≤ 2.0 cm 2 ; group L, > 2.0 cm 2 )., Results: A total of 94 patients were included (group 1, 68 patients; group 2, 26 patients). There were no significant differences in clinical scores at postoperative 3 years and final follow-up between groups 1 and 2, but group 2 failed to satisfy the non-inferiority criteria compared to group 1 overall. In objective outcomes, group 2 did not meet the non-inferiority criteria for the rate of osteoarthritis progression compared to group 1, and it also showed a significantly higher proportion of high-grade osteoarthritis at final follow-up (P = 0.044) and a higher degree of osteoarthritis progression than group 1 (P = 0.03 for pre- to postoperative 3 years, and P = 0.006 for pre- to final follow-up). In additional evaluations comparing the subgroups of group 2 and group 1, group S showed relatively favourable results compared to group L in objective outcomes at final follow-up., Conclusion: Patients who underwent arthroscopic pull-out repair for MMRT combined with MSP for accompanying high-grade cartilage lesions showed suboptimal outcomes compared to those with no or low-grade lesions at mid-term follow-up. High-grade cartilage lesions ≤ 2.0 cm 2 may be candidates for the surgical repair of MMRT if MSP are performed, but those with larger lesions may require alternative treatment strategies., Level of Evidence: III., (© 2023. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to European Society of Sports Traumatology, Knee Surgery, Arthroscopy (ESSKA).)

Introduction: The area encompassing the long head of the biceps (LHB) can be represented as a rectangular parallelepiped. This geometric view can be likened to a box, the "biceps box", where the sides are the extrinsic structures and the LHB is the intrinsic structure. Since these structures are mobile in relation to each other, a dynamic "biceps box" model can modify assessments of the LHB, in its healthy or pathological state, and make the therapeutic approach to treating LHB lesions less arbitrary., Material and Method: In order to describe the different sides of the "biceps box", and to understand their possible physiological and pathological consequences, a literature review using PRISMA methodology was used., Results: The supraspinatus (SSP) has expansions on its anterior aspect that project anteriorly and cross the coracohumeral ligament (CHL). The most functionally important expansion is the fasciculus obliquus, which extends perpendicular to the axis of the tendon fibers of the SSP, divides the CHL into a deep and a superficial layer, and terminates on the superficial aspect of the subscapularis. The humeral insertion of the SSP may be binary, making a bridge over the LHB, with a posterior branch inserting on the greater tuberosity and an anterior branch on the lesser tuberosity. The superior glenohumeral ligament (SGHL) has a twisted course, downward and forward, and ends at the proximal opening of the bicipital groove with a flap on which the LHB rests. The bicipital pulley is not an independent structure but an arciform structure resulting from the fusion of several tissues., Discussion: The presence of structures linked together by common expansions in the 3 planes of space validates the relevance of a "biceps box" as a functional geometric model. The structure that acts as a crossroads through which all expansions pass is the CHL. An extrinsic SSP lesion can be compensated for by other "biceps box" structures, whereas an extrinsic SGHL lesion rarely exists without the presence of an intrinsic LHB lesion. The CHL constitutes a connective tissue crossed by a vasculonervous pedicle from the lateral pectoral nerve, which may explain some anterior shoulder pain attributed to the biceps., Conclusion: The LHB can be likened to an intrinsic structure contained in a box whose sides are made up of different interconnected stabilizing structures defining the extrinsic structures. The concept of a dynamic "biceps box" allows LHB lesions to be accurately classified, separating extrinsic and intrinsic lesions, and thus potentially modifying therapeutic approaches to the LHB., Level of Evidence: IV; systematic review., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: This study evaluated the differences in meniscal sizes and occupancy between symptomatic and asymptomatic patients diagnosed with discoid lateral meniscus (DLM) using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to understand how these variations relate to the presence of symptoms and the patients' age., Methods: A retrospective review of 98 patients with DLM was conducted, excluding those with meniscal displacement. Both the width and extrusion of DLM and the percentage of the meniscus to the tibia were measured using mid-coronal and mid-sagittal MRI and compared between symptomatic and asymptomatic DLM groups. The relationships among each parameter, meniscal size, and patient age were evaluated. Symptomatic cases were divided into those with and without horizontal tears on MRI to compare the differences in meniscal morphology., Results: A total of 92 knees from 74 patients were included. Sixty-one knees required surgical intervention for symptomatic DLM, while 31 were asymptomatic and included the contralateral side of symptomatic knees. The symptomatic group exhibited larger morphological variations than the asymptomatic group. Moreover, the sagittal meniscal ratio reduced with age in the asymptomatic group (r = - 0.54, p = 0.002) but remained constant in the symptomatic group. The symptomatic cases with horizontal tears demonstrated larger meniscal dimensions and smaller posterior capsule distances than those without tears., Conclusion: Symptomatic patients with DLM had larger knee morphological changes than asymptomatic ones. Age affected the meniscal occupancy in the sagittal plane only in asymptomatic patients., Level of Evidence: III., (© 2023. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to European Society of Sports Traumatology, Knee Surgery, Arthroscopy (ESSKA).)

Introduction: Inter-observer arthroscopic assessments of the Long head of the Biceps tendon (LHB) injuries, in the absence of predefined instructions, are poorly reproducible. There are several types of LHB injuries, of varying severity, which can make its intraoperative analysis subjective., Hypothesis: The application of a precise arthroscopic exploration protocol, particularly dynamic, associated with an equally precise analysis of the possible tendon lesions, intrinsic or extrinsic, makes it possible to obtain a reproducible analysis of the lesions of the LHB and aid decision-making around its conservation or its resection, in distal supraspinatus tendon ruptures., Material and Methods: This was a prospective, multicenter study including 371 patients with a stage 1 rupture of the supraspinatus tendon, in accordance with the Patte classification. An exploration protocol with intraoperative video recording of the articular portion of the biceps was systematically performed by the operators. It included static intra-articular and extra-articular observation of the LHB, as well as a dynamic intra-articular hook test with mobilization in internal and external rotation, and in anterior elevation. An analysis of the lesion status of the LHB was then made by the principal operator (Op), after defining the various possible lesions: intrinsic or extrinsic. This initial diagnostic assessment was then compared with the analysis made by two independent observers (Obs1, Obs2) based on a replay of the recorded videos. The reliability of agreement was then measured using Cohen's Kappa coefficient (K) and Fleiss' kappa., Results: Two hundred and fifty-seven videos were analyzable. The level of agreement between the two independent observers was strong (K=0.63) for applying the diagnosis of a healthy or pathological biceps. The agreement between the independent observers and the operator was weaker (respectively K Op-Obs1=0.51 - moderate and K Op-Obs2=0.39 - poor)., Conclusion: The application of a precise protocol for the exploration of the LHB, associated with a previously defined lesion classification, makes it possible to obtain a high rate of agreement for the arthroscopic diagnostic analysis of the LHB. However, arthroscopy cannot be used as the only criterion for deciding which procedure to perform on the LHB. Other clinical and para-clinical factors must be taken into consideration., Level of Evidence: III; prospective inter-observer series., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Background: Unlike the adult meniscus, the fetal meniscus possesses robust healing capacity. The dense and stiff matrix of the adult meniscus provides a biophysical barrier for cell migration, which is not present in the fetal meniscus. Inspired by developmental characteristics, modifying the matrix of the adult meniscus into a fetal-like, loose and soft microenvironment holds opportunity to facilitate repair, especially in the avascular zone., Hypothesis: Modifying the dense and stiff matrix of the adult meniscus into a fetal-like, loose and soft microenvironment could enhance cell migration to the tear interface and subsequent robust healing capacity., Study Design: Controlled laboratory study., Methods: Fresh porcine menisci were treated with hyaluronidase or collagenase. The density and arrangement of collagen fibers were assessed. The degradation of proteoglycans and collagen was evaluated histologically. Cell migration within the meniscus or the infiltration of exogenous cells into the meniscus was examined. Dendritic silica nanoparticles with relatively large pores were used to encapsulate hyaluronidase for rapid release. Mesoporous silica nanoparticles with relatively small pores were used to encapsulate transforming growth factor-beta 3 (TGF-β3) for slow release. A total of 24 mature male rabbits were included. A longitudinal vertical tear (0.5 cm in length) was prepared in the avascular zone of the medial meniscus. The tear was repaired with suture, repaired with suture in addition to blank silica nanoparticles, or repaired with suture in addition to silica nanoparticles releasing hyaluronidase and TGF-β3. Animals were sacrificed at 12 months postoperatively. Meniscal repair was evaluated macroscopically and histologically., Results: The gaps between collagen bundles increased after hyaluronidase treatment, while collagenase treatment resulted in collagen disruption. Proteoglycans degraded after hyaluronidase treatment in a dose-dependent manner, but collagen integrity was maintained. Hyaluronidase treatment enhanced the migration and infiltration of cells within meniscal tissue. Last, the application of fibrin gel and the delivery system of silica nanoparticles encapsulating hyaluronidase and TGF-β3 enhanced meniscal repair responses in an orthotopic longitudinal vertical tear model., Conclusion: The gradient release of hyaluronidase and TGF-β3 removed biophysical barriers for cell migration, creating a fetal-like, loose and soft microenvironment, and enhanced the fibrochondrogenic phenotype of reparative cells, facilitating the synthesis of matrix and tissue integration., Clinical Relevance: Modifying the adult matrix into a fetal-like, loose and soft microenvironment via the local gradient release of hyaluronidase and TGF-β3 enhanced the healing capacity of the meniscus., Competing Interests: One or more of the authors has declared the following potential conflict of interest or source of funding: This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 82172420, No. 32000923, No. 81802161), Beijing Municipal Natural Science Foundation (No. 7214304), and Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission (No. Z171100001017085). AOSSM checks author disclosures against the Open Payments Database (OPD). AOSSM has not conducted an independent investigation on the OPD and disclaims any liability or responsibility relating thereto.

Rathke cleft cysts are common cystic pituitary lesions seen on MR imaging. A subset of Rathke cleft cysts can rupture within the sella and are uncommon. The imaging appearance of a ruptured Rathke cleft cyst has been previously described with nonspecific imaging findings. We present 7 cases of ruptured Rathke cleft cysts and basisphenoid bone marrow enhancement below the sella that could be used to potentially distinguish a ruptured Rathke cleft cyst from other cystic lesions., (© 2023 by American Journal of Neuroradiology.)

Background: In children, the incidence of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures and reconstructions has significantly risen. Unfortunately, re-rupture rates following surgery are substantially higher in children than adults. Previous research suggests that smaller graft diameters are predictive of re-rupture., Objective: This study aimed to investigate the growth progression of the ACL bone graft, specifically in terms of width and length, within the intra-articular portion and tunnels, using successive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. The hypothesis was that the ACL grafts would undergo thinning during growth., Materials and Methods: The cohort comprised 100 patients who underwent ACL reconstruction. Among them, 37 patients with significant residual growth were selected for analysis. Of these, 4 patients experienced graft rupture, 5 had "over-the-top" techniques, 12 had missing MRI scans and 5 were lost to follow-up. Each included patient underwent two MRI scans; the analyses of which were conducted in a double-masked manner., Results: A total of 13 knees (and patients) were analyzed, with a mean ± SD (range) delay of residual growth between the two MRI scans of 3.3 + / - 1.4 (1.2-5.2) years. The graft exhibited elongation, thinning and eventual integration with the surrounding bone in the tunnels. Within the intra-articular portion, the mean [95% CI] increase in graft size between the two MRI scans was 30.8% in length and 14.8% in width. The width/length ratio in the intra-articular part was 20.4% on the first MRI and 20.8% on the second MRI. Since this difference in the ratio (+ 0.4%) was not statistically significant (P=0.425), our results indicate that the grafts remained stable in terms of proportions without thinning or thickening. Therefore, the initial hypothesis was validated for the tunnel portion but not the intra-articular portion of the grafts., Conclusion: In children with open physes, ACL grafts demonstrate smooth growth progression in all dimensions. However, this finding does not fully explain the high rate of re-rupture observed in children. Further research is needed to elucidate the underlying factors contributing to re-rupture in this population., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Miranda et al. reported a correlation between the significance of injuries to osseous, chondral, tendon, and ligamentous tissues in participants with low-grade versus high-grade acute ankle sprains. They demonstrated that participants with high-grade ankle sprains presented with shorter calcaneonavicular distances and increased rates of structural abnormalities compared to those with low-grade sprains. Special attention should be paid to acute ankle sprains in emergency settings to avoid failure in detecting severe injuries that could lead to chronic pain, impairment, or instability. Participants presenting acute ankle sprains (<15 days) were divided into low-grade versus high-grade sprain,according to the presence of a complete tear in at least one component of lateral ligament complex. High-grade ankle sprains group presented increased rates of medial malleolus bone bruise, deltoid ligament tears,extensor retinaculum lesions, and articular effusion. The calcaneonavicular distance was statistically shorter in patients with high-grade sprains (median, 3.0mm) when compared to those with low-grade sprains (median, 4.0mm) Objective: To correlate the significance of osseous, chondral, tendon, and ligamentous injuries with anatomical variations in low-grade versus high-grade acute ankle sprains., Methods: We retrospectively identified the magnetic resonance imaging findings of acute ankle sprains (<15 days). Participants with a history of previous sprains, arthritis, tumors, infections, or inflammatory conditions were excluded. Images were independently evaluated by two musculoskeletal radiologists and assessed for osseous, chondral, tendon, and ligamentous injuries and anatomical variations. Participants were divided into low-grade versus high-grade sprain groups, according to the presence of a complete tear in at least one component of the lateral ligament complex., Results: The final study group comprised 100 magnetic resonance images (mean age, 36 years), the majority of males (54%), the right ankle (52%), and a mean sprain duration of 5 days. Participants with high-grade sprains presented with increased rates of medial malleolus edema (p<0.001), moderate and large articular effusions (p=0.041), and shorter calcaneonavicular distance (p=0.008). Complete tears of the anterior talofibular ligament and calcaneofibular ligaments were observed in 100% and 51.2% of the participants in the High-Grade Group, respectively. The deltoid ligament complex was partially torn in this group (55.8% versus 8.8%, p<0.001). Extensor tendon retinaculum lesions occurred significantly more frequently in this group (41.9%) compared to the overall study population (23%) (p<0.001)., Conclusion: Participants with high-grade ankle sprains presented with shorter calcaneonavicular distances and increased rates of medial malleolus edema, deltoid complex partial tears, extensor retinaculum lesions, and articular effusion.

Background: Rotator cuff injury occurs over tendons that insert into the humeral tuberosity. Ultrasonography detects the size and extent of tendon tears. Its sensitivity and specificity range from 91-100% and 85-86%, respectively. It has been shown that a trained orthopedic surgeon can perform shoulder ultrasonography for the accurate diagnosis of rotator cuff pathology., Objective: To determine the concordance between ultrasound-arthroscopy of the shoulder in rotator cuff injuries at the Unidad Médica Atención Ambulatoria No. 55 (Ambulatory Care Unit No. 55) in León, Guanajuato, Mexico., Material and Methods: Experimental study of a sample of 37 patients with a diagnosis of rotator cuff injury, in whom preoperative ultrasound and later shoulder arthroscopy of the same side were performed. The data were subjected to concordance with Cohen's Kappa Index., Results: There were 37 patients in whom we identified an overall concordance of 81%. Cohen's Kappa index was 0.76, considered a good concordance. Out of the 7 patients without correlation, in 1 patient the ultrasound showed partial rupture and by arthroscopy showed complete rupture of the supraspinatus. In 2 patients ultrasonography showed complete rotator cuff tear; during arthroscopy, both showed massive rotator cuff tear., Conclusions: Preoperative shoulder ultrasonography performed by traumatology presents a good concordance in the diagnosis of rotator cuff tears confirmed by arthroscopy., (Licencia CC 4.0 (BY-NC-ND) © 2023 Revista Médica del Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social.)

Purpose: The objective of this study was to clarify the clinical value of the posterior cruciate ligament index (PCLI) in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture, to explore the relationship between the PCLI and course of disease, and to identify the influencing factors of the PCLI., Methods: The PCLI was defined a quotient of the X (the tibial and femoral PCL attachments) and the Y (the maximum perpendicular distance from X to the PCL). A total of 858 patients were enrolled in this case-control study, including 433 patients with ACL ruptures who were assigned to the experimental group and 425 patients with meniscal tears (MTs) who were allocated to the control group. Some patients in the experimental group have collateral ligament rupture (CLR). Information, such as the patient's age, sex, and course of disease, was recorded. All patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) preoperatively, and the diagnosis was confirmed with the aid of arthroscopy. The PCLI and the depth of the lateral femoral notch sign (LFNS) were calculated based on the MRI findings, and the characteristics of the PCLI were explored., Results: The PCLI in the experimental group (5.1 ± 1.6) was significantly smaller than that in the control group (5.8 ± 1.6) (P < 0.05). The PCLI gradually decreased with time and was only 4.8 ± 1.4 in patients in the chronic phase (P < 0.05). This change was not due to the decrease in X but rather the increase in Y. The results also showed that the PCLI was not related to the depth of the LFNS or injuries of other structures in the knee joint. Furthermore, when the optimal cut-off point of the PCLI was 5.2 (area under the curve = 71%), the specificity and the sensitivity were 84% and 67%, respectively, but the Youden index was just 0.3 (P < 0.05)., Conclusion: The PCLI decreases due to the increase in Y instead of the decrease in X with time, especially in the chronic phase. The change in X in this process may be offset during imaging. In addition, there are fewer influencing factors that lead to changes in the PCLI. Therefore, it can be used as a reliable indirect sign of ACL rupture. However, it is difficult to quantify the diagnostic criteria of the PCLI in clinical practice. Thus, the PCLI as a reliable indirect sign of ACL rupture is associated with the course of knee joint injury, and it can be used to describe the instability of the knee joint., Levels of Evidence: III., (© 2023. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to European Society of Sports Traumatology, Knee Surgery, Arthroscopy (ESSKA).)

Introduction: the acromion is a small portion of the scapula that extends towards the anterior region from the spine of the scapula. Traditionally, the acromion is classified by the shape of its inferior surface in a sagittal plane. Acromial morphology has been found to be related to rotator cuff injury., Objective: to determine the association between the type of acromion with a higher incidence of rotator cuff rupture. Study population: patients who come to the Traumatology and Orthopedics Service of a third level hospital at Monterrey, Mexico, due to a painful shoulder and who have undergone a simple magnetic resonance of the shoulder., Material and Methods: a cross-sectional, retrospective and descriptive study was carried out, in which 273 magnetic resonance studies were reviewed in patients who met the inclusion criteria. The type of acromion was reported according to the morphological classification in type I to IV and the state of the rotator cuff: without rupture, partial rupture or complete rupture, making a comparison between right and left shoulder., Results: in this study we found a value of p = 0.473 which concludes that there is no relation between the type of acromion and the injury of the rotator cuff., Conclusion: in the present study, unlike what has been published in the literature, it was found that type II acromion was the one that was associated in most cases with a rotator cuff tear.

Background: Atrophy of the rotator cuff is a negative prognostic indicator after rotator cuff repair. Although full-thickness rotator cuff tears accompanied by tendon retraction are commonly associated with decreased muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), it is unclear whether this is accompanied by histologic atrophy of rotator cuff myofibers., Purpose: To evaluate the effect of supraspinatus tendon retraction and myofiber size on supraspinatus atrophy on MRI., Study Design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3., Methods: Supraspinatus muscle biopsy specimens were obtained from consecutive patients undergoing arthroscopic shoulder surgery. Rotator cuff tears were classified according to size. Preoperative MRI was used to measure tendon retraction and CSA of the supraspinatus muscle in the Y-shaped view. The occupation ratio of the supraspinatus was calculated by dividing the supraspinatus CSA by the supraspinatus fossa CSA. Muscle biopsy specimens were examined using laminin to quantify myofiber CSA. The association between supraspinatus tear size and measures of histologic and MRI muscle atrophy were compared using standard statistical tests. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify independent predictors of muscle atrophy on MRI., Results: A total of 38 patients were included: 8 with no tear, 14 with a partial-thickness tear, and 16 with a full-thickness tear. Increasing tear size was associated with greater distance of tendon retraction ( P < .001), smaller mean histologic myofiber size ( P = .004), lower mean supraspinatus CSA on MRI ( P < .001), and lower occupation ratio: 0.73 (control), 0.66 (partial tear), 0.53 (small to medium full-thickness tear), and 0.38 (large to massive full-thickness) ( P < .001). On Pearson correlation analysis, tendon retraction demonstrated strong correlation with occupation ratio (-0.725; P < .001) and weak correlation with myofiber size (-0.437; P = .006), while occupation ratio showed moderate correlation with myofiber size (0.593; P < .001). Multivariable linear regression analysis demonstrated that increasing tendon retraction ( P < .001), age ( P = .034), and smaller histologic myofiber CSA ( P = .047) were independently associated with greater supraspinatus atrophy on MRI., Conclusion: Supraspinatus muscle atrophy appreciated on MRI is independently associated with patient age, tendon retraction, and atrophy of the supraspinatus myofibers at the histologic level.

Purpose: False penile fractures (FPF) represent a rare sexual emergency characterized by blunt trauma of penis in the absence of albuginea's injury, with or without lesion of dorsal penile vein. Their presentation is often indistinguishable from true penile fractures (TPF). This overlapping of clinical presentation, and lack of knowledge about FPF, can lead surgeons often to proceed directly to surgical exploration without further examinations. The aim of this study was to define a typical presentation of false penile fractures (FPF) emergency, identifying in absence of "snap" sound, slow detumescence, penile shaft ecchymosis, and penile deviation main clinical signs., Methods: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis based on Medline, Scopus and Cochrane following a protocol designed a priori, to define sensitivity of "snap" sound absence, slow detumescence and penile deviation., Results: Based on the literature search of 93 articles, 15 were included (73 patients). All patients referred pain, most of them during coitus (n = 57; 78%). Detumescence occurred in 37/73 (51%), and all patients described detumescence occurrence as "slow". The results show that single anamnestic item have a high-moderate sensibility in the diagnosis of FPF, and the highest sensitive item was penile deviation (sensibility = 0.86). However, when more than one item is present, overall sensitivity increases greatly, closing to 100% (95% Confidence Interval 92-100)., Conclusion: Surgeons can consciously decide between additional exams, a conservative approach, and rapid intervention using these indicators to detect FPF. Our findings identified symptoms with excellent specificity for FPF diagnosis, giving clinicians more useful tools for making decisions., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: An Achilles tendon rupture (ATR) is a frequent injury and results in the activation of tendon cells and collagen expression, but it is unknown to what extent turnover of the tendon matrix is altered before or after a rupture., Purpose/hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to characterize tendon tissue turnover before and immediately after an acute rupture in patients. It was hypothesized that a rupture would result in pronounced collagen synthesis in the early phase (first 2 weeks) after the injury., Study Design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3., Methods: The study included patients (N = 18) eligible for surgery after an ATR. At the time of inclusion, the patients ingested deuterium oxide ( 2 H 2 O) orally, and on the day of surgery (within 14 days of the injury), they received a 3-hour flood-primed infusion of an 15 N-proline tracer. During surgery, the patients had 1 biopsy specimen taken from the ruptured part of the Achilles tendon and 1 that was 3 to 5 cm proximal to the rupture as a control. The biopsy specimens were analyzed for carbon-14 ( 14 C) levels in the tissue to calculate long-term turnover (years), incorporation of 2 H-alanine (from 2 H 2 O) into the tissue to calculate the fractional synthesis rate (FSR) of proteins in the short term (days), and incorporation of 15 N-proline into the tissue to calculate the acute FSR (hours)., Results: Both the rupture and the control samples showed consistently lower levels of 14 C compared with the predicted level of 14 C in a healthy tendon, which indicated increased tendon turnover in a fraction (48% newly synthesized) of the Achilles tendon already for a prolonged period before the rupture. Over the first days after the rupture, the synthesis rate for collagen was relatively constant, and the average synthesis rate on the day of surgery (2-14 days after the rupture) was 0.025% per hour, irrespective of the length of time after a rupture and the site of sampling (rupture vs control). No differences were found in the FSR between the rupture and control samples in the days after the rupture., Conclusion: Higher than normal tissue turnover in the Achilles tendon before a rupture indicated that changes in the tendon tissue preceded the injury. In addition, we observed no increase in tendon collagen tissue turnover in the first 2 weeks after an ATR. This favors the view that an increase in the formation of new tendon collagen is not an immediate phenomenon during the regeneration of ruptured tendons in patients., Registration: NCT03931486 (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier).

Objective: To investigate the diagnostic value of quantitative parameters of synthetic magnetic resonance imaging (SyMRI) in the grade of supraspinatus tendon injury. Methods: Ninety-seven patients with clinical definite of supraspinatus tendon injury from July 2021 to July 2022 in General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University were prospectively collected (case group), including 54 males and 43 females, with an age of 29 to 56 (37.4±9.6) years. According to the results of shoulder arthroscopy, the case group were divided into three subgroups included tendinopathy group (37 cases, grade Ⅱ), partial tear group (34 cases, grade Ⅲ) and complete tear group (26 cases, grade Ⅳ). During the same period, 28 normal rotator cuff volunteers without supraspinatus tendon injury were recruited (control group), including 16 males and 12 females, aged 23 to 49 (36.1±7.2) years, and marked as grade Ⅰ. All the subjects underwent MRI scan of articulatio humeri included T 1 -weighted imaging(T 1 WI) fast spin echo(FSE) sequences in axial view, T 2 -weighted imaging(T 2 WI) fat suppression(FS) sequences in axial view, T 2 WI FS sequences in oblique coronal view, proton density-weighted (PDW) imaging in oblique sagittal view and SyMRI in oblique coronal view. The supraspinatus tendon was divided into lateral, medial and middle subregions according to its shape in oblique coronal T 2 WI view, two radiologists measured the T 1 , T 2 and PD values of the supraspinatus tendon. The interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were used to compare the consistency between and within observers. One-way analysis of variance or Kruskal-Wallis H test were used to compare the differences of quantitative parameters in different grades, the multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the risk factors of supraspinatus tendon injury grade, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and area under curve (AUC) was drawn and calculated to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy. The Spearman correlation was used to analyze the correlation between the quantitative values and grades of supraspinatus tendon injury. Results: The ICC values of T 1 , T 2 and PD values for the three subregions of the supraspinatus tendon were greater than 0. 700. The differences of T 1 values in the lateral subregion, T 2 values in the lateral and middle subregions were statistically significant in the overall comparison across different grades (all P <0. 001).The differences of T 1 values in the middle and medial subregions, T 2 values in the medial subregion and PD values in the lateral, middle and medial subregions were not statistically significant in the overall comparison of different grades (all P> 0. 05). Multiple logistic regression model analysis showed that T 2 values in the lateral and middle subregions were related factors for the grade of supraspinatus tendon injury[ OR (95% CI ):1.123 (1.037-1.216), 0.122 (1.151-1.197);all P <0.001 ]. The AUC of the T 2 values in lateral subregion diagnosing grade Ⅰ vs grade Ⅳ, grade Ⅱ vs grade Ⅳ and grade Ⅲ vs grade Ⅳ were 0.891(95% CI : 0.801-0.981), 0.797(95% CI : 0.680-0.914), 0.723(95% CI : 0.594-0.853) (all P <0.001), and the AUC of the T 2 values in middle subregion diagnosing grade Ⅰ vs Ⅳ, grade Ⅱ vs Ⅳ, grade Ⅱ vs Ⅲ, and grade Ⅰ vs Ⅲ were 0.946 (95% CI : 0.849-0.989), 0.886 (95% CI : 0.809-0.962), 0.746 (95% CI : 0.631-0.861), 0.843 (95% CI : 0.745-0.941)(all P <0.001). The T 2 values in the lateral and middle subregions were positively correlated with the grade of supraspinatus tendon injury ( r =0.542, 0.615; both P <0.001), while T 1 values and T 2 values in the medial subregions were not significantly correlated with the grade of supraspinatus tendon injury (both P >0.05). Conclusion: SyMRI has high clinical application value in the grading of supraspinatus tendon injury, especially T 2 value can be used as an effective quantitative parameter for the grading of supraspinatus tendon injury.

Background: High-grade knee laxity and excessive anterior tibial subluxation (ATS) are correlated with poor clinical outcomes in patients with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) deficiency and share similar risk factors; however, the association between excessive ATS and high-grade knee laxity remains unclear., Purpose: To identify the association between excessive ATS and high-grade knee laxity in patients with ACL deficiency and determine the possibility that ATS can predict high-grade knee laxity., Study Design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3., Methods: A total of 226 patients who underwent ACL reconstruction between May 2018 and March 2022 were analyzed in the present study; the high-grade group consisted of 113 patients who had a grade 3 result on the preoperative anterior drawer test, Lachman test, or pivot-shift test while under anesthesia, and the low-grade group consisted of 113 matched patients. The ATS values for medial and lateral compartments (ATSMC and ATSLC) were measured on magnetic resonance imaging while patients relaxed the quadriceps in the supine position under no anesthesia. The optimal cutoff values of ATSMC and ATSLC for high-grade knee laxity were determined using receiver operating characteristic curves. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses with stratification were performed to identify the association between excessive ATS and high-grade knee laxity., Results: Compared with the low-grade group, the high-grade group had a longer time from injury to surgery; higher rates of medial meniscus posterior horn tear (MMPHT), lateral meniscus posterior horn tear (LMPHT), and anterolateral ligament (ALL) abnormality; and larger lateral tibial slope, ATSMC, and ATSLC. The optimal cutoff value was 2.6 mm (sensitivity, 52.2%; specificity, 76.1%) for ATSMC and 4.5 mm (sensitivity, 67.3%; specificity, 64.6%) for ATSLC in predicting high-grade knee laxity. After adjustment for covariates, ATSLC ≥4.5 mm (odds ratio [OR], 2.94; 95% CI, 1.56-5.55; P = .001), MMPHT (OR, 2.62; 95% CI, 1.35-5.08; P = .004), LMPHT (OR, 2.39; 95% CI, 1.20-4.78; P = .014), and ALL abnormality (OR, 2.09; 95% CI, 1.13-3.89; P = .019) were associated with high-grade knee laxity. The association between excessive ATSLC and high-grade knee laxity was validated in patients with acute ACL injury as well as those with chronic ACL injury., Conclusion: Excessive ATSLC was associated with high-grade knee laxity in patients who had ACL deficiency, with a predictive cutoff value of 4.5 mm. This study may help surgeons estimate the degree of knee instability more accurately before anesthesia and may facilitate preliminary surgical decision-making, such as appropriate graft choices and consideration of extra-articular augmentation.

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the distribution of different anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear locations in different magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) planes, and to explore the relationships of ACL tear types with both meniscus injuries and bone bruising., Methods: A retrospective study was performed in patients under 60 years old who underwent MRI scans in the sagittal and coronal oblique planes of the knee for ACL tears between 2014 and 2020. Patients with reports of chronic tears, partial tears, or prior surgeries were excluded. Tear locations were classified into five types, and the meniscus tear measurement variables included the presence of ramp, root, bucket-handle, and other types of tears. All injuries were confirmed by arthroscopy. Meanwhile, the presence and location of bone bruising were analysed and scored with the Whole-Organ Magnetic Resonance Imaging Score (WORMS) bone bruising subscale., Results: A total of 291 patients were included. The prevalence rates of type I and type III injuries were 23/291 (7.9%) and 145/291 (49.8%) in the sagittal plane and 22/291 (7.6%) and 179/291 (61.5%) in the oblique coronal plane, respectively. The prevalence of medial meniscus tears with ACL tears was 126/291 (43.3%), while that of lateral meniscus tears with ACL tears was 77/291 (26.5%). The highest prevalence of medial meniscus injury with ACL tears was 15/22 (68.2%) for type I injuries. Bone bruises were located on the lateral femoral center in 125 patients (46%) and on the lateral tibia posterior in 132 patients (48%); the common areas of bone bruising were slightly correlated with type III ACL tears but not correlated with type I ACL tears., Conclusion: The plane in which an MRI scan is performed affects the classification of ACL tears. The tear type is associated with the prevalence of medial meniscus injuries, and medial meniscus tears are most prevalent in type I ACL tears., Level of Evidence: IV., (© 2022. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to European Society of Sports Traumatology, Knee Surgery, Arthroscopy (ESSKA).)

Ultrasound is a useful adjunctive intra-operative imaging modality for soft tissue pathologies. It is readily available in the operating theater and has the distinct advantage of being more portable than an MRI, with no harmful radiation. It is especially useful for determining if any extra articular cysts have been decompressed through arthroscopic surgery, if a parameniscal cyst has been removed completely or if extrusion has been reduced adequately in a meniscus root repair. In our series, intra-operative ultrasound was used for two cases of medial meniscus horizontal tear with meniscus cyst excision, one case of lateral parameniscal cyst without a communicating tear, and five cases of meniscus root repairs. Ultrasound has the potential to be an important intra-operative diagnostic modality not only in diagnosing pathologies but also accurately localizing the soft tissue pathology, which is critical in arthroscopic surgery where the incisions are small. It also has the added advantage of guiding portal placements, especially in areas where there are neurovascular structures, to avoid injuring them. However, training in its effective use by the surgeon is important., (© 2022. Società Italiana di Ultrasonologia in Medicina e Biologia (SIUMB).)

Objectives: To determine the relationship between the severity of the tear gap resulting from medial meniscus posterior root (MMPR) tear and medial meniscal extrusion, cartilage, bone, and ligament lesions on MRI., Methods: A total of 133 patients with MMPR tear were retrospectively evaluated. The patients were divided into two groups according to the tear gap width as minor (≤ 4 mm) and widely (4 mm<) displaced. Medial meniscal extrusion and medial compartmental chondromalacia, bone and ligament lesions were analyzed., Results: There were 61 patients (56 women and 5 men) in the minor displaced group (mean age: 56.3 years, range: 29-82 years) and 72 patients (59 women, 13 men) in the widely displaced group (mean age: 53.2 years, range: 20-86 years). There was no significant difference in terms of age and sex (p = 0.31 and p = 0.09, respectively). The mean absolute extrusion was 3.51 mm (range: 1.5-5 mm) in the minor displaced group and 4.52 mm (range: 2.4-7.2 mm) in the widely displaced group (p < 0.001). High-grade medial femoral condylar chondromalacia was more common in the widely displaced group (p = 0.002). Osteophyte, bone marrow edema, and subchondral cyst in the medial compartment, and ligament injury were higher in the widely displaced group, but were not statistically significant (p > 0.05)., Conclusion: The amount of medial meniscal extrusion and the prevalence of high-grade medial femoral condylar chondromalacia were found to be significantly more in patients with wider tear gap. Determining the amount of tear gap in the evaluation of root ligament tears on MRI is important to predict knee joint internal derangement., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To evaluate extensor carpi ulnaris (ECU) tendon pathology and ulnar styloid process bone marrow edema (BME) as diagnostic MRI markers for peripheral triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) tears., Methods: One hundred thirty-three patients (age range 21-75, 68 females) with wrist 1.5-T MRI and arthroscopy were included in this retrospective case-control study. The presence of TFCC tears (no tear, central perforation, or peripheral tear), ECU pathology (tenosynovitis, tendinosis, tear or subluxation), and BME at the ulnar styloid process were determined on MRI and correlated with arthroscopy. Cross-tabulation with chi-square tests, binary logistic regression with odds ratios (OR), and sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy were used to describe diagnostic efficacy., Results: On arthroscopy, 46 cases with no TFCC tear, 34 cases with central perforations, and 53 cases with peripheral TFCC tears were identified. ECU pathology was seen in 19.6% (9/46) of patients with no TFCC tears, in 11.8% (4/34) with central perforations and in 84.9% (45/53) with peripheral TFCC tears (p < 0.001); the respective numbers for BME were 21.7% (10/46), 23.5% (8/34), and 88.7% (47/53) (p < 0.001). Binary regression analysis showed additional value from ECU pathology and BME in predicting peripheral TFCC tears. The combined approach with direct MRI evaluation and both ECU pathology and BME yielded a 100% positive predictive value for peripheral TFCC tear as compared to 89% with direct evaluation alone., Conclusions: ECU pathology and ulnar styloid BME are highly associated with peripheral TFCC tears and can be used as secondary signs to diagnose tears., Key Points: • ECU pathology and ulnar styloid BME are highly associated with peripheral TFCC tears and can be used as secondary signs to confirm the presence of TFCC tears. • If there is a peripheral TFCC tear on direct MRI evaluation and in addition both ECU pathology and BME on MRI, the positive predictive value is 100% that there will be a tear on arthroscopy compared to 89% with direct evaluation alone. • If there is no peripheral TFCC tear on direct evaluation and neither ECU pathology nor BME on MRI, the negative predictive value is 98% that there will be no tear on arthroscopy compared to 94% with direct evaluation alone., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: The accurate evaluation of rotator cuff (RC) fatty degeneration after tears is critical for appropriate surgical decision making and prognosis. However, there is currently no reliable and practical tool to reflect the global fatty infiltration (Global-FI) throughout the 3-dimensional (3D) volumetric RC muscles., Purpose: (1) To determine the correlations between 2 modified assessment tools and the Global-FI and their predictive performances and reliabilities for Global-FI prediction, and (2) to compare these predictive parameters with those of the conventional tool using a single scapular Y-view slice., Study Design: Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 3., Methods: A total of 49 patients with full-thickness RC tears scheduled to undergo arthroscopic repairs were included, and their surgical shoulders underwent 6-point Dixon magnetic resonance imaging preoperatively. The Global-FI was measured by calculating the 3D-volumetric fat fraction (FF) of the whole supraspinatus muscle through all acquired oblique sagittal slices. As a commonly used radiological landmark, the scapular Y-view was used to evaluate single-plane fatty infiltration (Y-FI) by calculating the FF in 1 slice, defined as the conventional assessment tool. Two modified assessment tools expand the analytic imaging by integrating the FFs from the scapular Y-view slice and its neighboring slices, which were calculated by averaging the FFs of these 3 slices ( mean Y 3 -FI) and accumulating local 3D-volumetric FFs from 3 slices ( vol Y 3 -FI), respectively. The correlations between 3 assessment tools and the Global-FI were analyzed, and the predictive performance for Global-FI prediction using these tools was determined by goodness of fit and agreement. Moreover, the inter- and intraobserver reliabilities of these assessment tools were evaluated. Similar analyses were performed in the small-medium, large, or massive tear subgroups., Results: The Y-FI was significantly higher than the Global-FI in all cases and tear size subgroups, while the 2 modified assessment tools ( mean Y 3 -FI and vol Y 3 -FI) did not significantly differ from the Global-FI. All assessment tools were significantly correlated with the Global-FI, but the mean Y 3 -FI and vol Y 3 -FI showed stronger correlations than the Y-FI, which was also determined in different tear sizes. Moreover, the regression models of the mean Y 3 -FI and vol Y 3 -FI showed superior goodness of fit to Y-FI in Global-FI prediction in all cases and subgroups, with larger coefficients of determination ( R 2 ) and smaller root mean square errors. The predicted Global-FI using the regression model of vol Y 3 -FI had the best agreement with the measured Global-FI, followed by the mean Y 3 -FI, both showing smaller biases and standard deviation of the percentage difference between predicted- and measured Global-FI than the conventional Y-FI. In addition, the 2 modified assessment tools achieved better interobserver and intraobserver reliabilities than the conventional tool in all cases and subgroups., Conclusion: Two modified assessment tools ( mean Y 3 -FI and vol Y 3 -FI) were comparable with the Global-FI of the whole supraspinatus muscle, showing stronger correlations with the Global-FI and better predictive performances and reliabilities than the conventional tool (Y-FI). Moreover, the vol Y 3 -FI was slightly superior to mean Y 3 -FI in the predictive performance and reliability.

Background: Patients with hand tendon injuries may present to the hand surgery clinic in the late stage after being examined in emergency departments. Even if an approximate idea has been obtained in physical examination of these patients, diagnostic imaging is usually requested for reconstructive approach, correct planning of surgical incisions and medicolegal reasons. The primary purpose of this study was to determine the overall accuracy of Ultrasonography (USG) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in patients with late presentation of a tendon injury., Methods: The surgical findings and imaging reports of 60 patients (32 females, 28 males) who underwent surgical exploration, late secondary tendon repair or reconstruction with a diagnosis of late-presenting tendon injury in our clinic were evaluated. Comparisons were made of 47 preoperative USG images (18-874 days) and 28 MRI (19-717 days) results for 39 extensor and 21 flexor tendon injuries. The imaging reports were interpreted as partial rupture, complete rupture, healed tendon and adhesion formation and these were compared with the surgical reports in terms of accuracy., Results: In extensor tendon injuries, the sensitivity and accuracy values were both 84% for USG and 44% and 47% for MRI, respec-tively. In flexor tendon injuries, the sensitivity and accuracy values were 100% for MRI and 50% and 53%, respectively, for USG. Of the 4 sensory nerve injuries, 4 were missed on USG and 1 on MRI. The results obtained with USG and MRI in the late-presenting patients in this study were lower than those reported in previous USG and MRI studies in the literature., Conclusion: Scar formation with tendon healing causes a change in anatomy, which could prevent accurate evaluation. There-fore, it would be beneficial for surgeons to start evaluating their patients with easily accessible ultrasonography; thus, surgical morbid-ity should be reduced.

A man in his 40s with a history of neurofibromatosis type 1 presented to the emergency department with worsening anterior elbow pain and swelling after falling from a chair 2 months prior. An X-ray showed soft tissue swelling without fracture and the patient was diagnosed with a rupture of the biceps muscle. MRI of the right elbow showed a brachioradialis tear with a large haematoma along the humerus. This was initially thought to be a haematoma; therefore, wound evacuation was done twice. When the injury failed to resolve, a tissue biopsy was performed. This revealed a grade 3 pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma. It is important to consider malignancy in the differential diagnosis with rapidly growing masses even if the initial presentation is suggestive of a benign condition. Neurofibromatosis type 1 is also associated with a higher risk of malignancy than the general population., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2023. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: Previous studies reported that full-thickness rotator cuff tear (FTRCT) is a risk factor for tear progression. However, there is no clear consensus on the risk factors of tear progression in FTRCT., Purpose: To identify the demographic and radiologic risk factors of tear progression in small to medium FTRCTs., Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 81 shoulders of patients diagnosed with small or medium FTRCTs using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) who underwent conservative treatment from January 2017 to November 2021. Various demographic factors, including patient work level and radiological factors such as atrophy of rotator cuff muscles were analyzed to evaluate their association with tear progression. Work level was divided into high (heavy manual labor), medium (manual labor with less activity), and low (sedentary work activity). The atrophy of rotator cuff muscles was calculated by occupation ratio., Results: Tear progression was observed in 48% (39/81) of patients (criterion for tear progression was medial-lateral or anterior-posterior tear length > 5 mm). In patients with tear progression, the lengths of medial-lateral and anterior-posterior tears progressed by 6 mm and 3 mm, respectively. Among the rotator cuff muscles, fatty degeneration and occupation ratio of the supraspinatus were only worsened (P = .014, P = 0.013, respectively). The mean MRI follow-up duration was 14.8 ± 9.0 months. The significant risk factors of tear progression were high work level (odds ratio [OR], 7.728; 95% CI, 1.204-49.610; P = .031), and occupation ratio of the supraspinatus muscle (OR, 0.308; 95% CI, 0.158-0.604; P = .001). The optimal cutoff value for the occupation ratio of the supraspinatus was 0.55 (sensitivity 74%, specificity 62%)., Conclusions: Tear progression was observed in approximately 50% of patients with symptomatic small to medium FTRCTs. High physical work level and atrophy of the supraspinatus muscle were independent risk factors of tear progression. The risk of tear progression increases with occupation ratio of the supraspinatus muscle < 0.55 and heavy manual labor., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Purpose: The objective of this systematic literature review was to investigate the effects of the clinical application of bone marrow aspirate (BMA) and/or bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC) in tendon and cartilage injuries in the foot and ankle., Methods: A search of the Embase, MEDLINE/PubMed, CINAHL, and Cochrane databases was performed in January 2021. The risk of bias of the studies was assessed using the tool "A Cochrane Risk of Bias Assessment Tool for Non-Randomized Studies." The outcomes analyzed included pain reduction and functional improvement with the use of BMA/BMAC in patients with tendon and cartilage injuries in the foot and ankle., Results: Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria for analysis, involving a total of 527 subjects with osteochondral lesions (OCLs) of the talus, cartilage lesions of the talus, and acute Achilles tendon rupture. BMAC was applied alone in 4 studies, and in 7 studies, it was compared with other techniques such as matrix-induced autologous chondrocyte implantation, particulate juvenile articular cartilage, or microfracture. Interventions demonstrated improved function and reduced foot and ankle pain and showed no serious adverse effects., Conclusions: Evidence indicates that BMAC provides good clinical results, with improved function and reduced pain in adults with OCL and cartilage lesions of the talus and acute Achilles tendon rupture., Level of Evidence: Level IV, systematic review of level II to IV studies., (Copyright © 2022 Arthroscopy Association of North America. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To determine whether the critical shoulder angle (CSA) in acute, traumatic rotator cuff tears (RCTs) is consistent with the previously described CSA in chronic degenerative RCTs., Methods: We performed a multicenter retrospective analysis of 134 patients presenting to 5 surgeons fellowship trained in shoulder and elbow or sports. Preoperative imaging was used to measure the CSA and tear characteristics. Patients were included if they had acute, traumatic full-thickness RCTs documented on advanced imaging and had preoperative Grashey radiographs. Patients were excluded if they had any history of shoulder pain, injury, surgery, or treatment prior to the current episode; were overhead athletes; or had fatty infiltration greater than Goutallier grade 1 on imaging., Results: The mean CSA was 33.5° (standard deviation, 4.1°), and 60% of tears had a CSA of less than 35°, much below the mean of 38.0° and the threshold of greater than 35° in degenerative RCTs. The mean age was 58 years, and 70% of patients were men. Overall, 60% of tears involved the subscapularis, 49% of tears occurred in patients aged 60 years or older, and 18% of patients sustained a dislocation. Older age (β = 0.316, P = .003) and male sex (β = 5.532, P = .025) were predictive of tear size, and older age (β = 0.229, P = .011) and biceps avulsion (β = 8.822, P = .012) were predictive of tear retraction., Conclusions: Acute, traumatic RCTs have CSAs that are 5° smaller than those of degenerative tears, and the majority (60%) have CSAs that are below the threshold consistent with degenerative RCTs. The majority of traumatic tears (60%) involve the subscapularis., Clinical Relevance: The study findings suggest that a traumatic tear is not simply the acute failure of a degenerative tendon and that it represents a distinct pathologic entity. These findings support current practice of treating traumatic RCTs differently than degenerative RCTs., (Copyright © 2022 Arthroscopy Association of North America. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Little is known about risk factors for sustaining a posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) rupture. Identifying risk factors is the first step in preventing a PCL rupture from occurring. The morphology of the knee in patients who ruptured their PCL may differ from that of control patients. The hypothesis was that the intercondylar notch dimensions, 3-D volumes of the intercondylar notch and, the 3-D volumes of both the ACL and the PCL were correlated to the presence of a PCL rupture., Methods: The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of 30 patients with a proven PCL rupture were compared to 30 matched control patients with proven intact ACL and PCL. Control patients were selected from patients with knee trauma during sports but without cruciate ligament injury. Patients have been matched for age, height, weight, BMI, and sex. The volumes of the intercondylar notch and both the ACL and PCL were measured on 3D reconstructions. Second, the bicondylar width, the notch width, and the notch width index were measured of all subjects. The relationship between our measurements and the presence of a PCL rupture was analysed., Results: The results show a significant difference in the volumes of the intercondylar notch and the ACL between patients with a ruptured PCL and control patients. Patients with a PCL rupture have smaller intercondylar notch volumes and smaller ACL volumes. There were no significant differences in the bicondylar width, notch width, and notch width index. In the control patients, a significant correlation between the volume of the PCL and the volume of the ACL was found (0.673, p < 0.001)., Conclusion: Patients with a PCL rupture have smaller intercondylar volumes and smaller ACL volumes when compared to control patients. Second, patients with smaller ACL volumes have smaller PCL volumes. This study shows, for the first time, that there are significant size and volume differences in the shape of the knee between patients with a PCL rupture and control patients., Level of Evidence: IV., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Pain is a common presentation after glenohumeral labral injuries. However, the source of that pain is undetermined., Purpose/hypothesis: We aimed to determine if there is a differential expression of nerve fibers around the glenoid labrum and if torn labra have increased neuronal expression compared with untorn labra (rotator cuff repair labra). We hypothesized that the superior labrum would have a higher concentration of neurofilament than would the rest of the labrum and that the concentration of neurofilament would increase at the site of a labral tear., Study Design: Descriptive laboratory study., Methods: Seven labra were sampled at the 3-, 5-, 9-, and 12-o'clock positions during total shoulder arthroplasty. Samples were also collected at the 3-, 5-, and 12-o'clock positions during rotator cuff repair (16 labra), anterior labral repair (6 labra), type II superior labral anterior to posterior (SLAP) repair (4 labra), and capsular release for idiopathic capsulitis (5 labra). Sections were immunostained with antibodies to neurofilament, a specific neuronal marker that is used to identify central and peripheral nerve fibers, and the concentration and intensity of immunostained-positive cells assessed., Results: The concentration of neurofilament staining was similar in the superior, anterior, posterior, and inferior glenoid labrum in untorn labra (8 neurofilament expressing cells per square millimeter; P = .3). Torn labra exhibited a 3- to 4-fold increase in neuronal expression, which was isolated to the location of the tear in SLAP ( P = .09) and anterior labral tears ( P = .02). The concentration of neurofilament expressing cells in torn glenoid labrum samples was comparable that in with the glenoid labrum of adhesive capsulitis samples ( P = .7)., Conclusion: This study supports the hypothesis that after a tear of the anterior or superior labrum the labrum in that region becomes populated with new nerves fibers and that these fibers may be responsible for the pain noted by patients with superior (SLAP) and/or anterior labral (Bankart) tears., Clinical Relevance: This study suggests that neural infiltration contributes to the pain experienced by patients with labral tears. It may help with patient education and direct future management of labral lesions.

➢: Isolated teres minor atrophy has a reported incidence in the literature of 3% to 6.2%., ➢: There are 2 distinct muscular bundles of the teres minor that have varying degrees of atrophy. Fatty degeneration of the medial-dorsal component exceeds that of the lateral-ventral component in most cases., ➢: A healthy and intact teres minor muscle is of functional importance in the setting of a complete infraspinatus tear because it becomes the only external rotator of the shoulder joint., ➢: Clinical and functional outcomes after rotator cuff repair and reverse shoulder arthroplasty for patients with teres minor atrophy in the setting of a rotator cuff tear are still controversial., Competing Interests: Disclosure: The Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest forms are provided with the online version of the article (http://links.lww.com/JBJSREV/A877)., (Copyright © 2022 by The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Incorporated.)

Deep learning is an advanced machine learning approach used in diverse areas such as image analysis, bioinformatics, and natural language processing. In the current study, using only one knee magnetic resonance image of each patient, we attempted to develop a convolutional neural network (CNN) to diagnose anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear. We retrospectively recruited 164 patients who had knee injury and underwent knee magnetic resonance imaging evaluation. Of 164 patients, 83 patients' ACLs were torn (20 patients, partial tear; 63 patients, complete tear), whereas 81 patients' ACLs were intact. We used a CNN algorithm. Of the included subjects, 79% were assigned randomly to the training set and the remaining 21% were assigned to the test set to measure the model performance. The area under the curve was 0.941 (95% CI, 0.862-1.000) for the classification of intact and tears of the ACL. We demonstrated that a CNN model trained using one knee magnetic resonance image of each patient could be helpful in diagnosing ACL tear., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2022 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Meniscus horizontal tears are usually degenerative. It could be asymptomatic and unrelated to knee symptoms. Therefore, there are controversies regarding treatment choices. The aim of this study was to evaluate factors that affect the results of non-surgical and surgical treatments for meniscus horizontal tears. We retrospectively studied 159 patients with meniscus horizontal tears with a minimum 2-year follow-up period. Patients were treated non-surgically or arthroscopically. The treatment results were dichotomized into success and failure. The factors considered were age, sex, joint line tenderness, mechanical symptoms, widest tear gap width on sagittal MRI, cartilage lesion grade, discoid meniscus, tear site, and joint alignment. Joint alignment and cartilage lesion grade were the factors that significantly influenced non-surgical treatment results. The widest tear gap width and cartilage lesion grade significantly affected arthroscopic surgery results. The mechanical symptoms did not show any significant relationship with either treatment result. In treating patients with meniscus horizontal tears, patients with varus alignment and advanced cartilage lesions should be informed of possible poor outcomes with non-surgical treatment. If the patient has a wide tear gap or minimal cartilage lesion, arthroscopic surgery would be a good treatment choice. The mechanical symptom was not an adequate factor for arthroscopic surgery., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Predisposition to anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture is multi-factorial, with variation in the genome considered a key intrinsic risk factor. Most implicated loci have been identified from candidate gene-based approach using case-control association settings. Here, we leverage a hypothesis-free whole genome sequencing in two two unrelated families (Family A and B) each with twins with a history of recurrent ACL ruptures acquired playing rugby as their primary sport, aimed to elucidate biologically relevant function-altering variants and genetic modifiers in ACL rupture. Family A monozygotic twin males (Twin 1 and Twin 2) both sustained two unilateral non-contact ACL ruptures of the right limb while playing club level touch rugby. Their male sibling sustained a bilateral non-contact ACL rupture while playing rugby union was also recruited. The father had sustained a unilateral non-contact ACL rupture on the right limb while playing professional amateur level football and mother who had participated in dancing for over 10 years at a social level, with no previous ligament or tendon injuries were both recruited. Family B monozygotic twin males (Twin 3 and Twin 4) were recruited with Twin 3 who had sustained a unilateral non-contact ACL rupture of the right limb and Twin 4 sustained three non-contact ACL ruptures (two in right limb and one in left limb), both while playing provincial level rugby union. Their female sibling participated in karate and swimming activities; and mother in hockey (4 years) horse riding (15 years) and swimming, had both reported no previous history of ligament or tendon injury. Variants with potential deleterious, loss-of-function and pathogenic effects were prioritised. Identity by descent, molecular dynamic simulation and functional partner analyses were conducted. We identified, in all nine affected individuals, including twin sets, non-synonymous SNPs in three genes: COL12A1 and CATSPER2, and KCNJ12 that are commonly enriched for deleterious, loss-of-function mutations, and their dysfunctions are known to be involved in the development of chronic pain, and represent key therapeutic targets. Notably, using Identity By Decent (IBD) analyses a long shared identical sequence interval which included the LINC01250 gene, around the telomeric region of chromosome 2p25.3, was common between affected twins in both families, and an affected brother'. Overall gene sets were enriched in pathways relevant to ACL pathophysiology, including complement/coagulation cascades (p = 3.0e-7), purine metabolism (p = 6.0e-7) and mismatch repair (p = 6.9e-5) pathways. Highlighted, is that this study fills an important gap in knowledge by using a WGS approach, focusing on potential deleterious variants in two unrelated families with a historical record of ACL rupture; and providing new insights into the pathophysiology of ACL, by identifying gene sets that contribute to variability in ACL risk., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

The Achilles tendon is commonly affected by both chronic repetitive overuse and traumatic injuries. Achilles tendon injuries can potentially affect any individual but have a particularly high incidence in professional athletes. Appropriate imaging evaluation and diagnosis are paramount to guiding appropriate management. In this AJR Expert Panel Narrative Review, we discuss the role of various imaging modalities (particularly ultrasound and MRI) in the assessment of Achilles tendon pathology, focusing on the modalities' relative advantages and technical considerations. We describe the most common diagnoses affecting the Achilles tendon and adjacent structures, highlighting key imaging findings and providing representative examples. Various image-guided interventions that may be used in the management of Achilles tendon pathology are also reviewed, including high-volume injection, tendon fenestration, prolotherapy, and corticosteroid injection. The limited evidence supporting such interventions are summarized, noting an overall paucity of large-scale studies showing benefit. Finally, a series of consensus statements by the panel on imaging and image-guided intervention for Achilles tendon pathology are provided.

Intravenous drug users (IDUs) eventually encounter a common problem- a need to turn to a new vessel to inject drugs. Whether it is because no other spot is available due to scarring or convenience, the groin is the preferred spot for some. Chronic puncture of femoral vessels can lead to a rare but significant complication- femoral artery pseudoaneurysm (FAP). Its fatal consequence- rupture and bleeding is well recognized, but the forensic literature on this subject is limited. We present eight cases of exsanguination due to the ruptured FAP in IDUs who share most or all the following characteristics: long-term heroin use and/or pronounced drug use stigmata, chronic groin injection-related lesions, absence of significant precipitating pseudoaneurysm trauma, and no or minimal concentrations of heroin metabolites in blood. The FAP presentation varied greatly, from palpable fist-sized mass or slight elevation under the skin defect to infundibular arterio-cutaneous fistula that ruptured through the skin induration. In some, surrounding skin or soft tissue showed signs of inflammation but without suppuration. The most prominent FAP characteristic was smooth-surface cavitation on cross-sections. We performed microscopic evaluation in two cases and verified disruption of the artery wall (i.e., pseudoaneurysm) with elements of acute and chronic inflammation and fibrosis; foci of fibrinoid necrosis were noticed on the arterial wall. All subjects were pale, with faint hypostasis and organ anemia, consistent with reported massive hemorrhage. Because such sudden, unwitnessed, and suspicious deaths may raise the question of injury infliction, proper autopsy evaluation is crucial, for which we propose guidelines., (© 2022 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.)

Objectives: Cuffed endotracheal intubation and stent implantation were employed to simulate two types of benign airway stenosis and further to analysis the different features between them from trachecscopic characteristics, gross anatomy to histopathological changes. In addition, our study explored the therapeutic effect of mitomycin C at different concentrations on granulation tissue caused by stent implantation in order to provide a new therapeutic strategy for clinical treatment of benign airway stenosis., Methods: Twelve beagle dogs were randomly divided into four groups, with three dogs in each group. Group A: Three beagle dogs were intubated through oral trachea after general anesthesia and cuff pressure maintained at 200 mmHg for 24 h. Group B, Group C and Group D: endotracheal coated self-expanding metal stents were placed after general anesthesia under the guidance of bronchoscope. On the Day7 after stent implantation, Group B, as control group, was injected phosphate buffer solution of 1 ml into granulation tissue at the end of stent; Group C was injected mitomycin C of 1 ml at 0.4 mg/ml and Group D was injected mitomycin C of 1 ml at 0.8 mg/ml into granulation tissue at the end of metal airway stent respectively, the same method as Group B. Bronchoscopy was used to observe tracheal lumen on the seventh day, fourteenth day and twenty-first day after modeling and pathological changes were examined on twenty-first day., Results: Two models of benign airway stenosis can be established by cuffed endotracheal intubation and stent implantation. There was tracheal rupture in the trachea cartiage ring in the cuffed endotracheal intubation group, but was't in stent implantation group. Histopathological characteristics were different between cuffed endotracheal intubation and stent implantation groups. In stent placement groups, we found that the stenosis degree of mitomycin C at 0.4 mg/ml was approximately 19%-32%, mitomycin C at 0.8 mg/ml was approximately 16%-21% and the control group was approximately 36%-47%., Conclusion: The two models of canine benign tracheal stenosis induced by cuffed endotracheal intubation and stent implantation are relatively simple, reliable and reproducible and have different characteristics. Mitomycin C could inhibit proliferation of granulation tissue and attenuate the degree of airway stenosis caused by stent implantation., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to describe rotator cuff muscle stiffness in patients with different degrees of rotator cuff tear (RCT) severity and to assess its predictive ability for RCT reparability., Methods: One hundred and thirty-three consecutive patients who were scheduled to undergo arthroscopic shoulder surgery were prospectively enrolled. Tendon retraction, fatty infiltration, and muscle atrophy were evaluated using magnetic resonance imaging. Shear modulus of supraspinatus (SSP) and infraspinatus (ISP) muscles were measured by ultrasound shear wave elastography (SWE). The tear size and reparability were determined intraoperatively., Results: There were 97 patients in RCT group and 36 patients in control group. Bilateral shear modulus discrepancy (Δshear modulus) was used to represent rotator cuff stiffness. Severely fatty-infiltrated rotator cuff muscles possessed a significantly higher stiffness compared with their counterparts (SSP: CI 27.8-31.8 vs. 13.5-15.6 kPa, ISP: CI 33.2-38.1 vs. 8.8-11.2 kPa, p < 0.001). The same trend applied to muscles with distinct tendon retraction (SSP: CI 27.7-32.3 vs. 10.9-14.9 kPa, ISP: CI 33.2-38.6 vs. 6.5-11.0 kPa, p < 0.001) and obvious muscle atrophy (SSP: CI 27.9-32.1 vs. 13.6-15.8 kPa, ISP: CI 32.9-38.2 vs. 9.0-11.7 kPa, p < 0.001). Irreparable massive RCT (MRCT) patients had significantly stiffer SSP (CI 27.7-31.9 vs. 13.5-16.5 kPa, p < 0.001) and ISP (CI 33.5-37.8 vs. 10.3-14.8 kPa, p < 0.001) than reparable MRCT. The Δshear modulus of the ISP was a highly accurate predictor of RCT reparability. A cutoff value of 18.0 kPa had a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 98.8% for irreparable MRCT., Conclusion: Ultrasound SWE-derived rotator cuff muscle stiffness is closely correlated with RCT size and severity., Level of Evidence: I., (© 2022. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to European Society of Sports Traumatology, Knee Surgery, Arthroscopy (ESSKA).)

Background: Atraumatic full thickness rotator cuff tears (AFTRCT) are common lesions whose incidence increases with age. Physical therapy is an effective conservative treatment in these patients with a reported success rate near 85% within 12 weeks of treatment. The critical shoulder angle (CSA) is a radiographic metric that relates the glenoid inclination with the lateral extension of the acromion in the coronal plane. A larger CSA has been associated with higher incidence of AFTRCT and a higher re-tear rate after surgical treatment. However, no study has yet described an association between a larger CSA and failure of conservatory treatment in ARCT. The main objective of this study is to determine whether there is an association between CSA and failure of physical therapy in patients with AFTRCT., Methods: We reviewed the imaging and clinical records of 48 patients (53 shoulders), 60% female, with a mean age of 63.2 years (95% CI ± 10.4 years); treated for AFTRCT who also underwent a true anteroposterior radiograph of the shoulder within a year of diagnosis of the tear. We recorded demographic (age, sex, type of work), clinical (comorbidities), and imaging data (CSA, size and location of the tear). We divided the patients into two groups according to success or failure of conservative treatment (indication for surgery), so 21 shoulders (39.6%) required surgery and were classified as failure of conservative treatment. Univariate and multivariate analysis was performed to detect predictors of failure of conservative treatment., Results: The median CSA was 35.5º with no differences between those with failure (median 35.5º, range 29º to 48.2º) and success of conservative treatment (median 35.45º, range 30.2º to 40.3º), p = 0.978. The multivariate analysis showed a younger age in patients with failure of conservative treatment (56.14 ± 9.2 vs 67.8 ± 8.4, p < 0.001) and that male gender was also associated with failure of conservative treatment (57% of men required surgery vs 28% of women, p = 0.035)., Conclusions: It is still unclear if CSA does predict failure of conservative treatment. A lower age and male gender both could predicted failure of conservative treatment in AFTRCT. Further research is needed to better address this subject., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

BACKGROUND. After rotator cuff tear, properties of the torn muscle predict failed surgical repair. OBJECTIVE. The purpose of our study was to explore the utility of preoperative shear-wave elastography (SWE) measurements of the supraspinatus muscle to predict successful rotator cuff repair, including comparison with MRI-based measures. METHODS. This prospective study included 74 patients (37 men, 37 women; mean age, 63.9 ± 10.0 [SD] years) who underwent rotator cuff repair between May 2019 and January 2021. Patients underwent preoperative clinical shoulder MRI and investigational shoulder ultrasound including SWE using shear modulus. The mean elasticity values of the supraspinatus and trapezius muscles were measured, and the elasticity ratio (i.e., ratio of mean elasticity of supraspinatus muscle to mean elasticity of trapezius muscle) was calculated. The muscular fatty infiltration score (1-3 scale) was recorded on gray-scale ultrasound. On MRI, muscular fatty infiltration was assessed by Goutallier grade (0-4 scale), and muscular atrophy was assessed by the occupation ratio (ratio of cross-sectional areas of supraspinatus muscle and supraspinatus fossa) and by the muscle atrophy grade (0-3 scale). After rotator cuff repair, the surgeon classified procedures as achieving sufficient ( n = 60) or insufficient ( n = 14) repair. RESULTS. Patients with insufficient repair, versus those with sufficient repair, more commonly exhibited a large (3-5 cm) tear (100.0% vs 50.0%). Patients with insufficient, versus sufficient, repair exhibited higher mean Goutallier grade (3.8 ± 0.4 vs 1.9 ± 1.1), mean muscle atrophy grade (2.0 ± 0.8 vs 0.5 ± 0.7), mean supraspinatus elasticity (44.15 ± 8.06 vs 30.84 ± 7.89 kPa), mean elasticity ratio (3.66 ± 0.66 vs 1.83 ± 0.58), and mean gray-scale fatty infiltration grade (2.86 ± 0.36 vs 1.63 ± 0.66) and showed lower mean occupation ratio (0.3 ± 0.1 vs 0.6 ± 0.1) (all, p < .001). AUC for predicting insufficient repair was 0.945 for Goutallier grade, 0.961 for occupation ratio, 0.900 for muscle atrophy grade, 0.874 for mean elasticity, 0.971 for elasticity ratio, and 0.912 for gray-scale fatty infiltration grade. Elasticity ratio (cutoff ≥ 2.51) achieved sensitivity of 100.0% and specificity of 90.0% for insufficient repair. At multivariable analysis including tear size, the three MRI measures, elasticity ratio, and gray-scale fatty infiltration grade, the only independent predictors of insufficient repair were muscle atrophy grade of 2-3 (odds ratio [OR] = 9.3) and elasticity ratio (OR = 15.7). CONCLUSION. SWE-derived elasticity is higher in patients with insufficient rotator cuff repair; the elasticity ratio predicts insufficient repair independent of tear size and muscle characteristics. CLINICAL IMPACT. Preoperative SWE may serve as a prognostic marker in patients with rotator cuff tear.

Background: Deep learning (DL) is an advanced machine learning approach used in diverse areas, such as image analysis, bioinformatics, and natural language processing. A convolutional neural network (CNN) is a representative DL model that is advantageous for image recognition and classification. In this study, we aimed to develop a CNN to detect meniscal tears and classify tear types using coronal and sagittal magnetic resonance (MR) images of each patient., Methods: We retrospectively collected 599 cases (medial meniscus tear = 384, lateral meniscus tear = 167, and medial and lateral meniscus tear = 48) of knee MR images from patients with meniscal tears and 449 cases of knee MR images from patients without meniscal tears. To develop the DL model for evaluating the presence of meniscal tears, all the collected knee MR images of 1048 cases were used. To develop the DL model for evaluating the type of meniscal tear, 538 cases with meniscal tears (horizontal tear = 268, complex tear = 147, radial tear = 48, and longitudinal tear = 75) and 449 cases without meniscal tears were used. Additionally, a CNN algorithm was used. To measure the model's performance, 70% of the included data were randomly assigned to the training set, and the remaining 30% were assigned to the test set., Results: The area under the curves (AUCs) of our model were 0.889, 0.817, and 0.924 for medial meniscal tears, lateral meniscal tears, and medial and lateral meniscal tears, respectively. The AUCs of the horizontal, complex, radial, and longitudinal tears were 0.761, 0.850, 0.601, and 0.858, respectively., Conclusion: Our study showed that the CNN model has the potential to be used in diagnosing the presence of meniscal tears and differentiating the types of meniscal tears., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

The musculoskeletal system consists of different components comprising a wide range of tissue types, with tendons being one part. Tendon degeneration or rupture have a high prevalence in all age groups, often with poor outcomes of surgical treatment such as chronic pain and high re-tear rates. Therefore, much effort has been directed to further develop diagnostic and therapeutic methods as well as reconstruction techniques, including using adequate placeholders or implants. Diagnostic approaches and advanced stages of preclinical studies will inevitably include histological examination of the pathologically affected tissue. The present study presents adequate tendon-related, histological techniques, including the embedding of soft- and hard-tissue samples in different media. Consideration is also given to samples containing residual implant materials or having been subjected to standard staining protocols and immunohistochemical procedures. The study further examines cells and tendon structure to detect degenerative, fibrotic or inflammatory conditions and possible foreign-body responses to implanted materials. Infraspinatus tendons from preclinical studies carried on rat and sheep samples, as well as human biceps tendon samples, have been used as example materials.

Background: Peroneus brevis tendon tears are associated with chronic ankle pain and instability following sprain injuries. The aim of this study is to elucidate the biomechanical changes induced by a peroneus brevis split and surgical treatment by tubularizing suture or partial resection., Methods: Nine human lower leg specimens were biomechanically tested. Preexisting tendon pathology was ruled out by magnetic resonance imaging and histology. Specimens were subjected to sequential testing of 4 conditions of the peroneus brevis tendon: (1) native, (2) longitudinal lesion, (3) tubularizing suture, and (4) 50% resection. The outcome parameters were the tendon stiffness (N/mm) and the length variation of the split portion at 5 N load., Results: The median specimen age at death was 55.8 years (range 50-64 years). The longitudinal tendon split led to an elongation by 1.21 ± 1.15 mm, which was significantly reduced by tubularizing suture to 0.24 ± 0.97 mm ( P = .021). Furthermore, 50% resection of the tendon elongated it by a mean 2.45 ± 1.9 mm ( P = .01) and significantly reduced its stiffness compared to the intact condition (4.7 ± 1.17 N/mm, P = .024) and sutured condition (4.76 ± 1.04 N/mm, P = .011)., Conclusion: Longitudinal split and 50% resection of the peroneus brevis tendon led to elongation and loss of tendon stiffness. These properties were improved by tubularizing suture. The significance of these changes in the clinical setting needs further investigation., Clinical Relevance: Tubularizing suture of a peroneus brevis split can restore biomechanical properties to almost native condition, potentially aiding ankle stability in symptomatic cases. A split lesion and partial resection of the tendon showed reduced stiffness and increased elongation.