To determine the outcome and differences between arthroscopic hip surgery and conservative therapy in patients suffering from femoroacetabular impingement syndrome, we searched articles from PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, Web of Science and Clinicaltrials.gov using a Boolean search algorithm. Only randomized controlled trials comparing arthroscopic hip surgery and conservative therapy were included in this meta‐analysis of femoroacetabular impingement syndrome management. Two authors determined eligibility, extracted the needed data and assessed the risk of bias of eligible studies independently. Then we meta‐analyzed three articles to assess pooled estimate size (ES) and 95% confidence interval for Hip Outcome Score of activities of daily living (HOS ADL subscale), Hip Outcome Score sport (HOS sports subscale) and International Hip Outcome Tool (iHOT‐33) analyses were performed by using STATA version 14.0 MP (STATA, College Station, TX, USA) with the principal summary measures are mean between group difference, sample size, and standard deviation. We collected 52 articles in total after removing duplicates and screened by titles and abstracts. A total of three RCTs were included finally. There was definite evidence of additional benefit of arthroscopic hip surgery against conservative therapy in the field of improving quality of life (three trials, 575 participants, ES = 2.109, 95% CI: 1.373 to 2.845, I² = 42.8%, P = 0.000) and activity of daily living (two trials, 262 participants, ES = 9.220, 95% CI: 5.931 to 12.508, I² = 16.5%, P = 0.000). However, no significant difference could be seen in sports function improvement (two trials, ES = 7.562, 95% CI: −2.957 to 18.082, I² = 60.1%, P = 0.159). In conclusion, this meta‐analysis suggests that arthroscopic hip surgery provided essential benefit compared with conservative therapy in improving activity of daily living and quality of life.

Tendon‐derived stem cells (TDSCs) play a vital role in repair of rotator cuff tear injuries by secreting paracrine proteins that regulate resident cell functions. Secreted exosomes may play a role in tendon injury repair by mediating intercellular communication; however, the detailed mechanisms by which TDSC‐derived exosomes affect tenocyte development remain unknown. Here, we examined the effects of exosomes isolated from conditioned medium of TDSCs on tenocyte differentiation, migration, and transition to a fibroblastic phenotype in vitro. Successful isolation of exosomes from TDSCs was confirmed by high expression levels of CD81, CD63, CD9, and TSG101. Treatment with TDSC‐derived exosomes promoted the growth and migration of cultured rat tenocytes, and increased the levels of the fibrosis markers collagen I, collagen III, scleraxis, tenascin C, and α‐smooth muscle actin. Furthermore, vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) expression was higher in TDSC‐derived exosomes than in TDSCs, and genetic knockdown of VEGFA suppressed the stimulatory effect of TDSC‐derived exosomes on tenocyte development. Overall, these results demonstrate that VEGFA‐enriched exosomes isolated from TDSCs promote differentiation and migration of cultured tenocytes and their transition to a fibroblastic phenotype. These data provide a new potential clinical treatment strategy for tendon injury.

Purpose: Treatment of chronic ankle instability (CAI) for ankle sprain patients remains a challenge. If initial treatments fail, surgical stabilization techniques including ligament reconstruction should be performed. Anterior tibiofibular ligament (ATiFL) distal fascicle transfer for CAI was recently introduced. The goal of the study is to assess the 1-year clinical effectiveness of ATiFL’s distal fascicle transfer versus ligament reconstruction with InternalBrace™ (Fa. Arthrex, Naples). Methods: Between October 2019 and February 2021, 25 patients (14 males and 11 females) scheduled for ligament reconstruction treatment of CAI were enrolled after propensity score matching. Twelve underwent ligament reconstruction with InternalBrace™ (InternalBrace™ group) and thirteen underwent ATiFL’s distal fascicle transfer (ATiFL’s distal fascicle transfer group). We recorded the American Orthopedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) score, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), anterior drawer test grade, patient satisfaction and complications. All results of this study were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Statistically significant (p = 0.0251, independent-samples t test) differences in the AOFAS can be found between the ATiFL’s distal fascicle transfer group and the InternalBrace™ group. No substantial changes in the VAS (p = 0.1778, independent-samples t test), patient satisfaction (p = 0.1800, independent-samples t test) and anterior drawer test grade (p = 0.9600, independent-samples t test) were found between the two groups. There was one patient with superficial wound infection and one patient with sural nerve injury in the InternalBrace™ group and ATiFL’s distal fascicle transfer group, respectively. Conclusion: This is the first study that assessed a cohort of CAI patients and suggests that the ATiFL’s distal fascicle transfer operation has the potential to attain good-to-excellent clinical outcomes after 1-year recovery. The AOFAS scores were significantly higher for patients with ATiFL’s distal fascicle transfer, indicating that this technique may be considered a viable option for both patients and their surgeon, while long-term outcomes should be investigated in the future.

Background: To compare the clinical efficacies of arthroscopic anterior talofibular ligament suture augmentation repair and modified suture augmentation repair in patients with chronic ankle instability (CAI). Methods: From October 2019 to August 2020, 100 patients with CAI were enrolled after propensity score matching analysis and observed for two years. Among them, 50 underwent modified suture augmentation repair and the other 50 underwent suture augmentation repair. The clinical efficacies of CAI treatments were evaluated using the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) clinical rating scale, visual analog scale (VAS), and anterior drawer test scores. Results: The postoperative AOFAS score of the modified suture augmentation repair group (83.8 ± 11.3) was significantly higher than that of the suture augmentation repair group (76.3 ± 11.3; P = 0.001). The VAS (P = 0.863) and anterior drawer test (P = 0.617) scores were not significantly different between the two treatment groups. Conclusion: Both the modified suture augmentation repair and suture augmentation repair demonstrated good clinical efficacies. The AOFAS score of the modified suture augmentation repair group was superior to that of the conventional suture augmentation repair group. Thus, modified suture augmentation repair is a feasible and practical surgical technique for CAI treatment.

At present, the modified suture augmentation (MSA) repair and the InternalBrace™ (IB) reconstruction techniques are commonly used for the treatment of chronic ankle instability (CAI). This study aimed to evaluate and compare the clinical efficacy of the MSA repair and IB reconstruction techniques, providing a reference for clinical practice. After propensity score matching, 50 patients with CAI between May 2021 and May 2022 were included in this retrospective study. Of these, 26 underwent IB reconstruction surgery and 24 underwent MSA repair surgery. The American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) scores, visual analog scale (VAS) scores, anterior drawer tests, and patient satisfaction were used for clinical efficacy evaluation. The postoperative AOFAS scores in the MSA group (88.8 ± 3.0) were significantly higher than those in the IB group (84.3 ± 5.4, P = 0.001). However, the patient satisfaction scores in the IB group (7.3 ± 0.8) were higher than those in the MSA group (6.7 ± 0.8, P = 0.02). There were no significant differences between the two groups in the anterior drawer test results and VAS scores (P < 0.05). In addition, regarding postoperative complications, only one patient (4.2%) in the MSA group had joint laxity. MSA repair was superior to IB reconstruction in terms of AOFAS scores. However, IB reconstruction was superior in terms of patient satisfaction. These findings highlight the potential of MSA repair and IB reconstruction techniques for the treatment of CAI.