Arthroscopic evaluation after surgical repair of intercondylar eminence fractures

Patients who undergo surgical repair of intercondylar eminence fracture may have postoperative problems despite good reduction. We used arthroscopy to evaluate the outcomes after surgery to repair intercondylar eminence fractures.

Ten patients (8 men and 2 women; average age at the time of surgery 27.9 +/- 10.0 years, range from 14 to 50 years) with fracture of the tibial intercondylar eminence underwent an arthroscopic reduction and internal fixation with non-absorbable sutures. Preoperative radiological examination showed that there were one Meyer's type-II, eight type-IIIA and one type-IIIB fractures. Clinical symptoms and physical findings for all the patients were evaluated 1 year postoperatively. Radiographic assessment and the Lysholm rating scale were also utilized. Second-look arthroscopy was performed after 1 year when removing the implant. Arthroscopy was used to assess the appearance of the surface of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), check for the existence of cyclops and look for interposition of tissue in the lateral and medial joint spaces.

One year after the surgery, all ten patients achieved bony union and had negative Lachman and anterior drawer tests. The average Lysholm knee score was 94.5 +/- 7.2 points (range 100-75 points). Arthroscopy showed an irregular surface on the ACL in two of the ten patients, cyclops in two patients, interposition in the lateral joint space in two patients and interposition in the medial joint space in one patient. In the two cases seen with an irregular surface, the ACL was covered with droopy fibrous tissue, but the substance of the ACL was intact. The two patients who had cyclops showed loss of knee extension (5~10 degrees), which was regained by subsequent resection of the cyclops. One patient who had an interposition into the lateral joint space complained of catching, which was released by resection of the interposing tissue.

Arthroscopic refixation of the intercondylar eminence fracture provided bony union and a good clinical outcome. Cyclops syndrome is one of the causes of loss of knee extension, and soft tissue in the medial or lateral compartment is one of the causes of catching of knee after surgical repair of intercondylar eminence fracture. Cyclops syndrome, which may occur following ACL reconstruction, is one of the causes of loss of knee extension after surgical repair of intercondylar eminence fracture. In patients who have knee complaints, such as catching and loss of knee extension, a second-look arthroscopy is useful for identifying and correcting the problem.