This longitudinal prospective study reports the 10-year results of arthroscopic, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reviewed. Four (4%) menisectomies were performed, 6 graft (7%) ruptures and 18 (20%) contralateral ACL ruptures occurred in the follow-up period. Ninety-seven percent of patients graded their knee function as normal or nearly normal and the median Lysholm knee score was 95 at 10-years. The proportion of patients participating in IKDC level I and II sports fell from 85% at 2-years to 45% at 10 years, 12% attributing the decrease to their knee. On laxity testing 85% and 93% had grade 0 on Lachman and pivot shift testing, respectively and 77% had < 3mm of anterior tibial displacement at 10 years. Kneeling pain increased to 58% of patients. 59% had no pain on strenuous activity with 33% of patients having a fixed flexion deformity at 10 years. Radiological examination at 10 years demonstrated osteoarthritic changes in 48% of patients. Factors predictive for the development of radiograhic osteoarthritis were increased age at operation and increased ligamentous laxity at 2 years as measured clinically and by KT 1000. As such, arthroscopic ACL reconstruction, employing patellar tendon, is not preventative of the development of osteoarthritis even when the confounding factors of meniscal, chondral and other ligamentous injury are excluded.

Aim: To determine the influence of concomitant partial meniscal resection on the medium-term clinical results after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction.

Method: Four hundred and sixty patients fulfilled the criteria for inclusion in this multi-center study. Four hundred and twelve of the 460 (90%) patients were re-examined by independent observers after a median 41 months (range: 24 months to 60 months). At the initial operation resection of a minimum of one third of the medial or lateral menisci was performed in 137 patients. The remaining 275 patients had stable, intact menisci. Patients who had undergone previous or subsequent meniscal surgery, a re-rupture of the ACL graft, or had an abnormal contralateral limb were excluded from the study.

Results: The patients who underwent concomitant meniscal resection at the ACL reconstruction had significantly more pain (p=0.012), a greater incidence of loss of motion (p=0.0006), increased laxity (p=0.001) and lower IKDC (p< 0.0001) and Lysholm (p< 0.0001) evaluation scores than patients who had intact menisci.

Conclusion: At the medium-term clinical follow-up the patients who underwent partial meniscal resection in conjunction with the ACL reconstruction revealed significantly worse subjective and objective measurements than the patients who had intact menisci. These findings demonstrated the effect of meniscectomy on the surgical outcome of ACL reconstruction and emphasised the importance of intact menisci for the function of the knee joint.

Aim: To compare, in a longitudinal study, the clinical outcomes of endoscopic anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction with either a four-strand hamstring tendon (HT) or a patellar tendon (PT) autograft over a five-year period, when a similar operative procedure is followed for both groups.

Method: Ninety patients with isolated ACL ruptures who had received PT autografts and another 90 who had received HT autografts were studied annually for five years. Fifty patients were randomised as a subgroup. The assessments included the IKDC Knee Ligament Evaluation, KT1000, Lysholm Knee Score, thigh atrophy, kneeling pain, hamstring pain and radiographs.

Results: The median Lysholm Knee Score was 96 for the PT group and 95 for the HT group. No significant difference was found for subjective knee function, overall IKDC assessment, X-ray findings, manual ligament KT1000 instrumented testing, graft rupture or contra-lateral ACL rupture. There was an increasing incidence of fixed flexion deformity seen in the PT group. There was no difference in the requirement for subsequent surgery. The incidence of kneeling pain at five years was significantly higher in the PT group. The results of the randomised patients were identical to the sequential patients.

Conclusions: Endoscopic reconstruction of the ACL utilizing either type of autograft restored knee stability and was protective of the meniscus despite a high level of sporting activity. We found a worrying trend towards an increasing incidence of fixed flexion deformity with time in the PT group. Pain when kneeling also remained a persistent problem in this subgroup. PT grafts appeared tighter clinically and, with the KT 1000, when assessed up to three years post operatively, compared with HT grafts. Thereafter the results were similar.

Aim: To study the influence of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) deficiency upon functional outcome after Coventry high tibial osteotomy, four to seven years after the surgery.

Method: One hundred and thirty-five patients (142 knees) each underwent a Coventry high-tibial osteotomy with staple fixation, performed by a single surgeon for medial arthrosis of the knee. During the study period, six patients (seven knees) proceeded to total knee arthroplasty and three patients died from unrelated causes. Nine patients were lost to follow-up. Comparisons were drawn between those patients with an intact ACL (ACLi) and those with ACL deficiency (ACLd).

Results: One hundred and seventeen patients (122 procedures) were available for review (100 males, median age 49 years, range: 29years to 70 years). The median follow up period was 64 months (range 37 to 80 months). The ACLd group was significantly younger (median age was 44 versus 51, p< 0.05) and reported significantly less pain and difficulty with stairs, shopping and rising to stand than the ACLi group. Seventy-eight percent of ACLd patients underwent previous surgical procedures on the affected knee. Ninety-six percent of the ACLd group and 89% of the ACLi group were either enthusiastic or satisfied with the outcome of the surgery. The mean Knee Society Score was 83 and 79 (respectively). All six revisions of the knee arthroplasties were in the ACLi group.

Conclusions: High tibial osteotomy was performed at a younger age for those patients with an absent anterior cruciate ligament. These patients had a subjectively better functional medium-term outcome, despite having had a greater number of surgical procedures prior to the osteotomy and having an ACL-deficient joint.

Aim: To confirm previous studies and reports of tunnel widening following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. To report the medium term behaviour and the effect of tunnel widening on the clinical results.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of the ACL database comparing BPTB autograft versus HT autograft and interference screw fixation was carried out. All procedures were performed by the same surgeon using an identical endoscopic, single-incision, surgical technique and a single method of fixation (7 x 25mm Titanium RCI screws). Patients who had a radiographic series at two and five years were included in the study. All patients had an isolated ACL injury.

Patients underwent a continuous follow up evaluation including clinical examination IKDC, Lysholm knee score and KT-1000 man max testing. Tibial tunnel widening was calculated from lateral radiographs digitalised and corrected for magnification. The tunnel shape was classified according to Peyrache.

Results: The median HT tunnel area increased significantly for the first two years (p = 0.00) and was unchanged from two to five years. The median PT tunnel area decreased significantly during the first two years (p = 0.03), and decreased again from two to five years (p = 0.02). A significant difference in tunnel shape existed between HT and PT groups (p = 0.00).

Conclusion: Tibial tunnel widening was confirmed in 79% of HT and 24% of PT ACL reconstructions utilising a single Titanium RCI screw fixation in each. Graft choice was shown to influence tibial tunnel shape; 21% of HT developed a cavity shape and 29% of PT exhibited tunnel disappearance. All patients with a decrease in tunnel area had a negative pivot shift. This was significantly different from the tunnel-widening group.