title: The arthroscopic treatment of displaced tibial spine fractures in children and adolescents using Meniscus Arrows®.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This article summarises the results of a newly developed technique that utilises Meniscus Arrows(®) for the arthroscopic fixation of displaced tibial spine fractures in children and adolescents.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twelve tibial spine fractures in the knees of eleven children between 6 and 15 years old, with an average age of 12 years, were arthroscopically fixed with Meniscus Arrows(®), after a reduction of their fractures. This was followed by 5 weeks immobilisation in a plaster of Paris. Postoperative follow-up included radiographs, Lachmann tests on all of the children's knees and KT-1000 tests of eight out of twelve of the children's knees. The postoperative follow-up time ranged from 3 to 10 years, with patients being seen for an average of 4 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All of the fractures consolidated uneventfully, and all of the patients returned unrestricted to their previous activity level. The Lachmann tests revealed no, or a non-functional, laxity in any of the patients' knees. The KT-1000 tests showed a difference between the operated side, and non-operated side, of between 3 mm in the first knee operated on and an average of 1 mm in the remaining knees.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The arthroscopic fixation of tibial spine fractures using Meniscus Arrows(®) showed that this minimally invasive procedure resulted in the uneventful consolidation of all twelve of the fractures, with excellent results, and without the need for a second, hardware removal, operation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Level IV.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Traumatology and Arthroscopic Surgery, TweeSteden Hospital, Dr. Deelenlaan 5, 5042 AD, Tilburg, The Netherlands. dwouters@tsz.nl
authors.forename: Diederick B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Wouters
authors.forename: Joost S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: de Graaf
authors.forename: Patrick H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Hemmer
authors.forename: Johannes G M
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Burgerhof
authors.forename: William L M
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Kramer
mesh_terms: D020341:Absorbable Implants; D000293:Adolescent; D001182:Arthroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005593:Fracture Fixation, Internal / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D016268:Internal Fixators; D008297:Male; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures; D020127:Recovery of Function; D013978:Tibial Fractures / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome