Favorable clinical outcomes of simultaneous ACL reconstruction and UKA or HTO: A systematic surveillance

Purpose

Outcomes after combination of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction (ACLR) with unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) or high tibial osteotomy (HTO) have been widely reported, but previous systematic reviews have included articles published before 2000 and do not necessarily reflect recent trends. We conducted a thorough investigation to address (1): What are the recent surgical trends in simultaneous ACLR and UKA or HTO? and (2) What are the issues in these surgeries? based on a comprehensive systematic analysis.

Methods

A systematic surveillance was performed in accordance with the PRISMA guideline. The inclusion criteria were as follows: simultaneous ACLR and UKA or HTO for medial osteoarthritis (OA) with ACL deficiency; clinical outcomes and complications recorded; publication date after 2000.

A total of 1466 potentially relevant articles were identified; after exclusions, 31 articles that included 744 knees were analyzed. Fourteen articles included 330 knees underwent simultaneous ACLR and UKA (UKA group) and 17 articles included 414 knees underwent simultaneous ACLR and HTO (HTO group).

Results

Overall, complications were found in 14 knees (4.2%) in the UKA group and 47 knees (11.3%) in the HTO group. Re-rupture of the ACL was observed in only the HTO group (6 knees: 1.4%). Revision to TKA occurred in 8 knees (2.4%) in the UKA group and 1 knee (0.2%) in the HTO group. No standardized outcome measures for clinical assessment were used for all studies.

Conclusion

The systematic surveillance of studies published since 2000 on the outcomes and complications of simultaneous ACLR and UKA or HTO for medial OA with ACL deficiency indicates an increasing number of reports on simultaneous ACLR and HTO or UKA in recent years. Favorable clinical results were achieved in both treatment groups.