Between 1993 and 1994, 891 patients underwent
primary anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. A total
of 48 patients had undergone bilateral ACL reconstruction and
42 were available for review. These patients were matched to a unilateral
ACL reconstruction control group for gender, age, sport of primary
injury, meniscal status and graft type. At 15-year follow-up a telephone
interview with patients in both groups was performed. The incidence
of further ACL injury was identified through structured questions
and the two groups were compared for the variables of graft rupture
or further ACL injury, family history of ACL injury, International
Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) subjective score and activity
level. There were 28 male and 14 female patients with a mean age of
25 years (13 to 42) at the time of first ACL injury. Subsequent
further ACL injury was identified in ten patients (24%) in the bilateral
ACL reconstruction study group and in nine patients (21%) in the
unilateral ACL reconstruction control group (p = 0.794). The mean
time from bilateral ACL reconstruction to further ACL injury was
54 months (6 to 103). There was no significant difference between
the bilateral ACL reconstruction study group and the matched unilateral
ACL reconstruction control group in incidence of further ACL injury
(p = 0.794), family history of ACL injury (p = 0.595), IKDC activity
level (p = 0.514), or IKDC subjective score (p = 0.824). After bilateral ACL reconstruction the incidence of graft rupture
and subjective outcomes were equivalent to that after unilateral
ACL reconstructions. Cite this article:
