J Knee Surg 2022; 35(10): 1097-1105
DOI: 10.1055/s-0040-1721788
Original Article

The Functional Outcomes of Delayed Surgical Reconstruction in Nonsport-Induced Multiligament Knee Injuries: A Retrospective Cohort Study

1   Department of Orthopedics, Joint Reconstruction Research Center, Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex, Tehran, Iran
,
M. H. Kaseb
1   Department of Orthopedics, Joint Reconstruction Research Center, Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex, Tehran, Iran
,
R. G. Maleki
1   Department of Orthopedics, Joint Reconstruction Research Center, Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex, Tehran, Iran
,
1   Department of Orthopedics, Joint Reconstruction Research Center, Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex, Tehran, Iran
,
A. Noori
1   Department of Orthopedics, Joint Reconstruction Research Center, Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex, Tehran, Iran
,
R. Rezaee
1   Department of Orthopedics, Joint Reconstruction Research Center, Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex, Tehran, Iran
› Author Affiliations
Funding None.

Abstract

Multiligament knee injuries (MLKIs) are among the most detrimental injuries, which can cause significant compromise of joint stability and function. Our aim was to investigate the functional outcomes of nonsport-induced MLKIs who presented late after injury and underwent delayed arthroscopic reconstruction. In a retrospective cohort of 18 MLKI patients (19 knees, January 2012–2018) who had undergone arthroscopic reconstruction, we assessed the knee range of motion, return to work/sport, International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC), Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index, Lysholm, and Tegner scores. The preoperative scores were retrieved from the patients' registry database. We reviewed their surgical notes and extracted the operation data, including the damaged ligaments, stages of the surgery, and associated meniscal injury. There were 14 males and 4 females with a mean age of 30.57 ± 10.31 years. The mean time from injury to surgery was 17.31 ± 11.98 months. The most common injury was anterior cruciate ligament/posterior cruciate ligament (31.6%). The mechanisms of injury were motor vehicle accidents (72.2%), falls (22.2%), and sports (5.6%). The reconstruction was either single (61.2%) or multiple stage (38.8%). The pre- and postoperative scores were 45.31 ± 7.30 versus 79.16 ± 11.86 IKDC, 3.84 ± 1.26 versus 8.37 ± 1.16 Tegner, and 60.42 ± 7.68 versus 89.42 ± 8.81 Lysholm, respectively. All the scores showed significant improvement at mean follow-up of 24.05 ± 9.55 months (p < 0.001). In conclusion, delayed arthroscopic reconstruction of MLKIs significantly improved the functional outcomes and return to work in patients presenting late to the orthopaedic clinic. There was no relationship between the demographic variables, mechanism of injury, number of injured ligaments, and the stages of surgery and the functional outcomes in this group of patients.

Ethical Approval

The Ethics Committee Board of Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS) declared no ethical concern in this study (license code: IR.TUMS.IKHC.REC.1398.063).


All the patients participated voluntarily in this study and signed the informed consent approved by the Ethics Committee Board of TUMS.




Publication History

Received: 04 August 2020

Accepted: 12 November 2020

Article published online:
03 January 2021

© 2021. Thieme. All rights reserved.

Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc.
333 Seventh Avenue, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10001, USA

 
  • References

  • 1 Fanelli GC, Orcutt DR, Edson CJ. The multiple-ligament injured knee: evaluation, treatment, and results. Arthroscopy 2005; 21 (04) 471-486
  • 2 Butler DL, Noyes FR, Grood ES. Ligamentous restraints to anterior-posterior drawer in the human knee. A biomechanical study. J Bone Joint Surg Am 1980; 62 (02) 259-270
  • 3 Moatshe G, Chahla J, LaPrade RF, Engebretsen L. Diagnosis and treatment of multiligament knee injury: state of the art. Journal of ISAKOS: Joint Disorders & Orthopaedic Sports Medicine. 2017; 2 (03) 152-161
  • 4 Peskun CJ, Levy BA, Fanelli GC. et al. Diagnosis and management of knee dislocations. Phys Sportsmed 2010; 38 (04) 101-111
  • 5 Arom GA, Yeranosian MG, Petrigliano FA, Terrell RD, McAllister DR. The changing demographics of knee dislocation: a retrospective database review. Clin Orthop Relat Res 2014; 472 (09) 2609-2614
  • 6 Wascher DC, Dvirnak PC, DeCoster TA. Knee dislocation: initial assessment and implications for treatment. J Orthop Trauma 1997; 11 (07) 525-529
  • 7 Levy BA, Dajani KA, Whelan DB. et al. Decision making in the multiligament-injured knee: an evidence-based systematic review. Arthroscopy 2009; 25 (04) 430-438
  • 8 Fanelli GC, Stannard JP, Stuart MJ. et al. Management of complex knee ligament injuries. Instr Course Lect 2011; 60: 523-535
  • 9 Medina O, Arom GA, Yeranosian MG, Petrigliano FA, McAllister DR. Vascular and nerve injury after knee dislocation: a systematic review. Clin Orthop Relat Res 2014; 472 (09) 2621-2629
  • 10 Karataglis D, Bisbinas I, Green MA, Learmonth DJ. Functional outcome following reconstruction in chronic multiple ligament deficient knees. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 2006; 14 (09) 843-847
  • 11 Hirschmann MT, Iranpour F, Müller W, Friederich NF. Surgical treatment of complex bicruciate knee ligament injuries in elite athletes: what long-term outcome can we expect?. Am J Sports Med 2010; 38 (06) 1103-1109
  • 12 Fanelli GC, Sousa PL, Edson CJ. Long-term followup of surgically treated knee dislocations: stability restored, but arthritis is common. Clin Orthop Relat Res 2014; 472 (09) 2712-2717
  • 13 Engebretsen L, Risberg MA, Robertson B, Ludvigsen TC, Johansen S. Outcome after knee dislocations: a 2-9 years follow-up of 85 consecutive patients. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 2009; 17 (09) 1013-1026
  • 14 Tzurbakis M, Diamantopoulos A, Xenakis T, Georgoulis A. Surgical treatment of multiple knee ligament injuries in 44 patients: 2-8 years follow-up results. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 2006; 14 (08) 739-749
  • 15 Vicenti G, Solarino G, Carrozzo M. et al. Major concern in the multiligament-injured knee treatment: a systematic review. Injury 2019; 50 (Suppl. 02) S89-S94
  • 16 Barfield WR, Holmes RE, Slone H, Walton ZJ, Hartsock LA. Acute versus staged surgical intervention in multiligamentous knee injuries: a review of the literature since 2009. Curr Orthop Pract 2015; 26 (05) 530-535
  • 17 Hohmann E, Glatt V, Tetsworth K. Early or delayed reconstruction in multi-ligament knee injuries: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Knee 2017; 24 (05) 909-916
  • 18 Everhart JS, Du A, Chalasani R, Kirven JC, Magnussen RA, Flanigan DC. Return to work or sport after multiligament knee injury: a systematic review of 21 studies and 524 patients. Arthroscopy 2018; 34 (05) 1708-1716
  • 19 Hatch III GFR, Villacis D, Damodar D, Dacey M, Yi A. Quality of life and functional outcomes after multiligament knee reconstruction. J Knee Surg 2018; 31 (10) 970-978
  • 20 Ebrahimzadeh MH, Makhmalbaf H, Golhasani-Keshtan F, Rabani S, Birjandinejad A. The International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) subjective short form: a validity and reliability study. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 2015; 23 (11) 3163-3167
  • 21 Eftekhar-Sadat B, Niknejad-Hosseyni SH, Babaei-Ghazani A, Toopchizadeh V, Sadeghi H. Reliability and validity of Persian version of Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index in knee osteoarthritis. Journal of Research in Clinical Medicine. 2015; 3 (03) 170-177
  • 22 Saraie PS, Salavati M, Akhbari B, Kazemnejad A. Translation and adaptation of knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome score (KOOS) in to Persian and testing Persian version reliability among Iranians with osteoarthritis. J Rehabil 2007; 8 (01) 42-46
  • 23 Negahban H, Mostafaee N, Sohani SM. et al. Reliability and validity of the Tegner and Marx activity rating scales in Iranian patients with anterior cruciate ligament injury. Disabil Rehabil 2011; 33 (23-24): 2305-2310
  • 24 LaPrade RF. Anatomic reconstruction of the posterolateral aspect of the knee. J Knee Surg 2005; 18 (02) 167-171
  • 25 Xu H, Kang K, Zhang J. et al. An anatomical-like triangular-vector ligament reconstruction for the medial collateral ligament and the posterior oblique ligament injury with single femoral tunnel: a retrospective study. J Orthop Surg Res 2017; 12 (01) 96
  • 26 Edson CJ, Fanelli GC, Beck JD. Rehabilitation after multiple-ligament reconstruction of the knee. Sports Med Arthrosc Rev 2011; 19 (02) 162-166
  • 27 Shelbourne KD, Wilckens JH, Mollabashy A, DeCarlo M. Arthrofibrosis in acute anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. The effect of timing of reconstruction and rehabilitation. Am J Sports Med 1991; 19 (04) 332-336
  • 28 Berbig R, Rillmann P. [Timing of the surgery of rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament. Effects of acute or delayed surgery on arthrofibrosis rate and work disability]. Unfallchirurg 2000; 103 (09) 726-730
  • 29 Mohtadi NG, Webster-Bogaert S, Fowler PJ. Limitation of motion following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. A case-control study. Am J Sports Med 1991; 19 (06) 620-624 , discussion 624–625
  • 30 Smith TO, Davies L, Hing CB. Early versus delayed surgery for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 2010; 18 (03) 304-311
  • 31 Harner CD, Waltrip RL, Bennett CH, Francis KA, Cole B, Irrgang JJ. Surgical management of knee dislocations. J Bone Joint Surg Am 2004; 86 (02) 262-273
  • 32 Ercin E, Gokhan Bilgili M, Atbasi Z, Tanriverdi B, Hakan Basaran S, Kural C. Importance of restricting sportive activity and time from injury to surgery in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Open Orthop J 2015; 9: 427-431
  • 33 Liow RY, McNicholas MJ, Keating JF, Nutton RW. Ligament repair and reconstruction in traumatic dislocation of the knee. J Bone Joint Surg Br 2003; 85 (06) 845-851
  • 34 Wajsfisz A, Bajard X, Plaweski S. et al; French Arthroscopy Society (SFA). Surgical management of combined anterior or posterior cruciate ligament and posterolateral corner tears: for what functional results?. Orthop Traumatol Surg Res 2014; 100 (8, Suppl): S379-S383
  • 35 Subbiah M, Pandey V, Rao SK, Rao S. Staged arthroscopic reconstructive surgery for multiple ligament injuries of the knee. J Orthop Surg (Hong Kong) 2011; 19 (03) 297-302
  • 36 Zhang Y, Zhang X, Hao Y, Zhang YM, Wang M, Zhou Y. Surgical management of the multiple-ligament injured knee: a case series from Chongqing, China and review of published reports. Orthop Surg 2013; 5 (04) 239-249
  • 37 Wascher DC, Becker JR, Dexter JG, Blevins FT. Reconstruction of the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments after knee dislocation. Results using fresh-frozen nonirradiated allografts. Am J Sports Med 1999; 27 (02) 189-196
  • 38 Li X, Liu T. Surgical management of multiple knee ligament injuries. Eur J Orthop Surg Traumatol 2013; 23 (06) 691-697
  • 39 Mook WR, Miller MD, Diduch DR, Hertel J, Boachie-Adjei Y, Hart JM. Multiple-ligament knee injuries: a systematic review of the timing of operative intervention and postoperative rehabilitation. J Bone Joint Surg Am 2009; 91 (12) 2946-2957
  • 40 Dedmond BT, Almekinders LC. Operative versus nonoperative treatment of knee dislocations: a meta-analysis. Am J Knee Surg 2001; 14 (01) 33-38
  • 41 Richter M, Bosch U, Wippermann B, Hofmann A, Krettek C. Comparison of surgical repair or reconstruction of the cruciate ligaments versus nonsurgical treatment in patients with traumatic knee dislocations. Am J Sports Med 2002; 30 (05) 718-727
  • 42 Frosch K-H, Preiss A, Heider S. et al. Primary ligament sutures as a treatment option of knee dislocations: a meta-analysis. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 2013; 21 (07) 1502-1509