Anterior cruciate ligament injury rates (primary injury, bilateral injury, reinjury) among national competitive alpine skiers are high and have not declined in the last 25 years. Finding a way to prevent anterior cruciate ligament injury in this population is a very important goal.
Meniscectomy remains one of the most frequent orthopedic procedures, despite meniscal sparing having been advocated for several decades now. Incidence is excessive in the light of scientifically robust studies demonstrating the interest of meniscal repair or of nonoperative treatment for traumatic tear and of nonoperative treatment for degenerative meniscal lesions. It is high time that the paradigm shifted, in favor of meniscal preservation. In traumatic tear, and most particularly longitudinal vertical tear in vascularized zones, repair shows a high success rates in terms of recovery time, functional outcome and cartilage protection. Leaving the meniscus alone may be an option in asymptomatic lesions of the lateral meniscus during anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Posterior ramp lesions (in associated ACL tear), traumatic root tears and radial lesions are also excellent indications for repair, although it has to be borne in mind that the natural history of these lesions is not completely understood and nonoperative treatment also may be considered. Degenerative meniscal lesions are frequently revealed by MRI in middle-aged or elderly subjects. They are closely related to tissue aging and thus probably to osteoarthritic processes. Meniscectomy was long considered the treatment of choice. All but 1 of the 8 recent randomized studies reported non-superiority of arthroscopy over nonoperative treatment, which should thus be the first-line choice, with arthroscopic meniscectomy reserved for cases of failure, or earlier in case of "considerable" mechanical symptoms. Horizontal cleavage in young athletes is a particular case, requiring meniscal repair, to avoid a meniscectomy, which would inevitably be extensive in a young active patient. More than ever, the take-home message is: save the meniscus!
Purpose
To develop a statement on the diagnosis, classification, treatment, and rehabilitation concepts of posterolateral corner (PLC) injuries of the knee using a modified Delphi technique.
Methods
A working group of three individuals generated a list of statements relating to the diagnosis, classification, treatment, and rehabilitation of PLC injuries to form the basis of an initial survey for rating by an international group of experts. The PLC expert group (composed of 27 experts throughout the world) was surveyed on three occasions to establish consensus on the inclusion/exclusion of each item. In addition to rating agreement, experts were invited to propose further items for inclusion or to suggest modifications of existing items at each round. Pre‐defined criteria were used to refine item lists after each survey. Statements reaching consensus in round three were included within the final consensus document.
Results
Twenty‐seven experts (100% response rate) completed three rounds of surveys. After three rounds, 29 items achieved consensus with over 75% agreement and less than 5% disagreement. Consensus was reached in 92% of the statements relating to diagnosis of PLC injuries, 100% relating to classification, 70% relating to treatment and in 88% of items relating to rehabilitation statements, with an overall consensus of 81%.
Conclusions
This study has established a consensus statement relating to the diagnosis, classification, treatment, and rehabilitation of PLC injuries. Further research is needed to develop updated classification systems, and better understand the role of non‐invasive and minimally invasive approaches along with standardized rehabilitation protocols.
Level of evidence
Consensus of expert opinion, Level V.
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