POSTER ABSTRACTS - ISAKOS

cases in the T group, 1 case in LT group, and 2
cases in the NT group.
The tourniquet was effective to
minimize blood loss in TKA. However, ther was no
difference in the decrease in Hb among each
group after autotransfusion using CBC II.
E-poster #814
Incidence of the Anterior Menisco-femoral
Ligament. An Arthroscopic Study.
Maximiliano Ranalletta, Buenos Aires,
ARGENTINA, Presenter
Walter O. Rossi, Capital, Buenos Aires
ARGENTINA
Nestor Abel Brigatti, Tolosa, Buenos Aires
ARGENTINA
Aleandro Ranaletta, Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA
Medicina del Deporte SA, Buenos Aires,
ARGENTINA
Introduction: A prospective arthroscopic study to
evaluate the incidence of the anterior
meniscofemoral ligament (aMFL) in 100
consecutive knees was performed.
Material and methods: Between June 2002 and
September 2003, 100 knees were prospectively
evaluated to determine the incidence of the aMFL
during arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament
reconstruction procedures.
The mean patient age was 30 years-old (range:16-
45), 93 patients were male and 7 female. In 49
patients, the right knee was evaluated, and in 51,
the left.
Inclusion criteria: skeletally mature patient under
45 years-old, isolated ACL injury.
Exclusion criteria: degenerative articular changes,
lateral meniscus injury, ligament insufficiency
other than ACL, previous knee surgery.
Previous to the ACL reconstruction the
intercondylar notch was examinated. Shaver and
radiofrecuency were utilized to expose the
posterior cruciate ligament (PCL). The anterior
surface of the PCL was carefully debrided from
sinovial tissue and any connection between the
posterior horn of the lateral meniscus and the
medial condyle was assessed.
Results: All the knees presented fibers connecting
the posterior horn of the lateral meniscus to the
medial condyle running anterior to the posterior
cruciate ligament. The aMFL or Humphrey´s
ligament was present in all the knees as a
constant structure.
Discussion: Traumatic, degenerative (age) and
racial differences have been proposed as a cause
of the considerable variation of the reported
incidence of these ligaments.
In our study, healthy young patients with no
degenerative changes, no meniscal injuries and
no ligament disruption except from the ACL,
presented the aMFL as a constant structure. No
attempt to find the posterior menisco-femoral
ligament of Wrisberg was done due to its position
behind the PCL.
To the best of our knowledge this is the first
arthroscopic study conducted to evaluate the
incidence of the aMFL.
E-poster #815
Spontaneous Osteonecrosis of the Medial
Femoral Condyle of the Knee and Medial
Meniscal Tears
Matias Costa-Paz, Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA,
Presenter
D. Luis Muscolo, Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA
Miguel Angel Ayerza, Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA
Arturo Makino, Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA
Italian Hospital of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires,
ARGENTINA
The etiology of SON of the knee is uncertain and a
number of factors have been implicated in the
development of this pathology. Several authors
have emphasized the association of the medial
meniscal tears with osteonecrosis, although the
exact temporal and casual relationship between
the two conditions is controversial. Also
osteonecrosis of the knee developing after
arthroscopic meniscectomy has been previously
reported.
We reviewed a series of five elder patients that
were referred to our institution with indication of
an arthoscopic meniscectomy, showing medial
meniscal tears confirmed by MRI with negative
findings of ON. Patients were alerted of the
potential complication of developing an ON and
were treated conservatively. All patients had
recurrent pain and were re-evaluated with a
second MRI study, showing images compatible
with ON.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the
association of medial meniscal tears and
spontaneous ON of the knee with the intention of
clarifyng the etiology of postarthoscopy ON.
The average age was 68 years (range 63-77). There
were five men. Clinically all the patients had
tenderness at the medial joint line which
increases with the activity. At initial MRI
evaluation all five patient had tears of the