Which Fibers of the Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) Should Be Released in the Pie Crust Technique Applied During Knee Arthroscopy: Superficial MCL or Deep MCL?

Background Knee arthroscopy is the most common surgery performed to treat meniscal injuries. The pie crust (PC) technique is applied during knee arthroscopy to increase joint vision of the medial femorotibial compartment and reduce the risk of iatrogenic damage. Medial collateral ligament (MCL) release is applied in the PC technique. Currently, there are no studies directly comparing the release of the superficial MCL (sMCL) or deep MCL (dMCL) when applied during the PC technique. In this study, we compared the clinical and functional results of the release of the deep and proximal tibial attachment of the superficial fibers of the MCL. Methodology We evaluated the results of 67 (27 women and 40 men) patients who underwent the PC technique during knee arthroscopy due to a medial meniscal tear. The patients who underwent the PC technique were divided into two groups according to the release of the deep and superficial fibers of the MCL. All patients were evaluated for pain, functional capacity, and laxity using the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) and the Oxford Knee scores. All patients were evaluated with radiographic examinations such as valgus laxity angle and medial tibiofemoral compartment opening height. Results The KOOS and Oxford Knee Scores in both groups showed a statistically significant increase at 12 months postoperatively compared with the preoperative values (p = 0.005, 0.002, 0.002, and 0.01, respectively). No statistically significant difference was found between the groups (p > 0.05). When the valgus laxity angle before the PC technique was compared with the 12-month result after the procedure, no statistically significant difference was noted (p > 0.05). There was no evidence of complications such as chondral injury and saphenous nerve or vein injury among patients in either group. Conclusions In this study, we did not observe laxity in the long-term follow-up of the groups in which the superficial or deep fibers of the MCL were released. In our view, the PC technique has similar effects on surgical outcomes regardless of sMCL and dMCL release techniques.