Short term results of anterior cruciate ligament augmentation in professional and amateur athletes.

BACKGROUND: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is a widely accepted procedure; however, controversies exist about ACL augmentation. The purpose of this study was to assess the clinical outcomes of ACL augmentation in professional and amateur athletes with isolated single bundle ACL tears.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A consecutive series of professional and amateur athletes with partial ACL tears who underwent selective bundle reconstruction were analyzed. Stability was assessed with the Lachman test, anterior-drawer test, pivot-shift test and KT-1000 arthrometer. Functional assessment was performed using the subjective Lysholm questionnaire.

RESULTS: Fifty-six patients were enrolled. The mean follow-up period was 19.3 months. All patients had posterolateral bundle (PLB) tears, and no anteromedial bundle (AMB) tears were found. The Lysholm score improved significantly from 78 (SD = 2.69) preoperatively to 96 (SD = 3.41) postoperatively (P value <0.0001). The pivot-shift test, Lachman test and anterior-drawer test results were negative in all cases postoperatively. Anterior tibial translation from neutral was 4.9 mm (SD = 2.7) preoperatively, and decreased significantly to 2.1 (SD = 0.6) postoperatively, measured with a KT-1000 arthrometer (P value <0.00001).

CONCLUSION: In this study, we showed that ACL augmentation had good results in symptomatic professional and amateur athletes, and although further studies are needed to investigate long-term results, we recommend this surgery for all symptomatic athletic patients, especially those who would like to maintain an active lifestyle. Level of evidence IV.