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

Ju-Hong Lee; Hyun-Kyung Bae; Ki-Bum Kim; Byung-Yun Hwang; Young-Jin Lim; Ji-Hun Song; Myung-Guk Jung

doi:10.4055/jkoa.2010.45.4.281

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Lee, Bae, Kim, Hwang, Lim, Song, and Jung: A Comparison of Outcomes after Acute and Chronic Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Original Article

Journal of the Korean Orthopaedic Association

Journal of the Korean Orthopaedic Association 2010; 45(4): 281-286.

Published online: 9 August 2010

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4055/jkoa.2010.45.4.281

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

Ju-Hong Lee, M.D., Hyun-Kyung Bae, M.D., Ki-Bum Kim, M.D., Byung-Yun Hwang, M.D.^*, Young-Jin Lim, M.D.^*, Ji-Hun Song, M.D.^*, Myung-Guk Jung, M.D.^*

Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Research Institute of Clinical Medicine, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju, Korea.

^*Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Saint Carollo Hospital, Sunchon, Korea.

Correspondence to: Young-Jin Lim, M.D. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Saint Carollo Hospital, 1742, Jo-ray dong, Sunchon 540-718, Korea. TEL: +82-61-720-2500, FAX: +82-61-720-6000, lyj2834@naver.com

Received 22 July 2009 Accepted 29 March 2010

(open-access):

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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 intra-articular lesions than a reconstruction for chronic ACL injuries.

Keywords: anterior cruciate ligament, acute injury, chronic injury, associated lesions

Figures and Tables

Table 1

Demographic Data

Values are expressed as mean±standard deviation.

^*Independent t-test.

Table 2

Clinical Outcome according to Lysholm Scores

Values are expressed as mean±standard deviation.

^*Independent t-test.

Table 3

Clinical Outcome according to IKDC Knee Rating System

^*Chi-square test.

Table 4

Stability according to Lachman Test and Pivot Shift Test

Follow-up, final follow-up.

^*Chi-square test, ^†Statistical difference with p=0.732, ^‡Statistical difference with p=0.479.

Table 5

Isokinetic Peak Torque at Final Follow-up

Values are expressed as mean±standard deviation.

^*Independent t-test.

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