The American journal of sports medicine
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Articular cartilage treatment in high-level male soccer players: a prospective comparative study of arthroscopic second-generation autologous chondrocyte implantation versus microfracture.
Soccer is a highly demanding sport for the knee joint, and chondral injuries can cause disabling symptoms that may jeopardize an athlete's career. Articular cartilage lesions are difficult to treat, and the increased mechanical stress produced by this sport makes their management even more complex. ⋯ Despite similar success in returning to competitive sport, microfracture allows a faster recovery but present a clinical deterioration over time, whereas arthroscopic second-generation autologous chondrocyte implantation delays the return of high-level male soccer players to competition but can offer more durable clinical results.
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Despite considerable medical advances, arthroscopy remains the only definitive means of superior labrum anterior-posterior (SLAP) lesion diagnosis. Natural shoulder anatomic variants limit the reliability of radiographic findings and clinical evaluations are not consistent. Accurate clinical diagnostic techniques would be advantageous because of the invasiveness, patient risk, and financial cost associated with arthroscopy. ⋯ This study examines several provocative tests that are frequently used in the clinical setting as a means of evaluating a potential SLAP lesion.