Five-Year Results of Single-Incision Arthroscopic Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction with Patellar Tendon Autograft

• Published in: American journal of sports medicine 1998-03, Vol.26 (2), p.181-188
• Main Authors: Otto, David, Pinczewski, Leo A., Clingeleffer, Amanda, Odell, Ross
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Anterior cruciate ligament; Anterior Cruciate Ligament - surgery; Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries; Arthroscopy; Biological and medical sciences; Endoscopic surgery; Endoscopy; Evaluation; Female; Humans; Injuries of the limb. Injuries of the spine; Joints; Knee Joint - surgery; Logistic Models; Male; Medical procedures; Medical research; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Patella; Patients; Rehabilitation; Retrospective Studies; Rupture; Sports medicine; Statistics, Nonparametric; Surgery; Tendons; Tendons - transplantation; Transplantation, Autologous; Traumas. Diseases due to physical agents; Treatment Outcome
• ISSN: 0363-5465; 1552-3365
• DOI: 10.1177/03635465980260020601

We performed a retrospective study on 80 patients who underwent single-incision arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with patellar tendon autograft and interference fit screw fixation in 1989. Twelve patients were lost to followup, allowing a clinical assessment of 68 patients to be conducted by independent examiners at 1 and 5 years after surgery, with radiographic assessment at 5 years. Thirty-three patients had chronic anterior cruciate ligament-deficient knees. Three patients reruptured their grafts during sports at 29, 48, and 56 months. At 5 years, 64 patients (98%) had grade 0 or 1 Lachman and pivot shift tests with manual stability testing. Fifty patients (77%) were participating in level I or II activities according to the International Knee Documentation Committee scale. Twenty-nine patients (45%) experienced low levels of pain when performing at their highest activity level. Five (8%) had thigh atrophy greater than 1 cm, and three (5%) had an extension loss of more than 3°. Eleven patients (17%) had tenderness over the graft site when kneeling. Fifteen of 62 patients (24%) had degenerative changes on radiographs, and this was more common in patients with chronic anterior cruciate ligament-deficient knees. Fifty-two patients (80%) had normal or nearly normal knees according to the overall International Knee Documentation Committee score.