J Korean Orthop Assoc.  2010 Aug;45(4):281-286.

A Comparison of Outcomes after Acute and Chronic Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

• Lee JH
• Bae HK
• Kim KB
• Hwang BY
• Lim YJ
• Song JH
• Jung MG

Abstract

PURPOSE
To compare the clinical outcomes of a reconstruction with an autogenous hamstring tendon for an acute and chronic anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
We reviewed 71 patients who had undergone an ACL reconstruction with an autogenous hamstring tendon from December 2003 to June 2006. The patients were divided into two groups, reconstruction for an acute injury with 34 knees and reconstruction for a chronic injury with 37 knees. The clinical results were evaluated using the Lysholm score, International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score, Lachman test, Pivot shift test, KT-1000 arthrometer, and a Cybex isokinetic test for the strength of the knee flexor and extensor. The presence of associated intra-articular lesions was also investigated.
RESULTS
There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of the stability evaluated by the Lachman test, pivot shift test and KT-1000 arthrometer at the final follow-up (p=0.732, 0.479, 0.078). However, the acute group scored significantly higher with respect to the clinical outcome measured by the Lysholm scores and IKDC rating system at the final follow-up (P=0.042, 0.012). There was a significantly higher incidence of associated intra-articular lesions in the chronic group than those in the acute group (P=0.003).
CONCLUSION
A reconstruction for acute ACL injuries showed more satisfactory clinical results and less associated intraarticular lesions than a reconstruction for chronic ACL injuries.

Keyword

anterior cruciate ligament; acute injury; chronic injury; associated lesions

MeSH Terms

Anterior Cruciate Ligament
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Incidence
Knee
Tendons

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