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ACL reconstruction with hamstring graft shows good long-term results
Arthroscopic ACL reconstruction with four-strand semitendinosus tendon yielded good short and long-term outcomes and patient satisfaction, according to results of this study.
Researchers measured the short-term outcomes of 98 patients 2 years after ACL reconstruction and 52 patients an average of 10.2 years after ACL reconstruction. Mean patient age was 40.4 years. They included patients with isolated ACL ruptures, reconstruction with semitendinosus grafts and patients who had no cartilage alterations or meniscal lesions. Outcome measures included the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC), Tegner and Lysholm scores. They classified osteoarthritis (OA) degenerative change using the Jäger-Wirth score and conducted instrumental stability testing using the KT1000 arthrometer (MEDmetric Corporation, San Diego).
Patients were graded based on the IKDC score. The Tegner activity score was 4.8 and the Lysholm activity score was 88.2 at long-term follow-up. They found grade I OA in 21.2% of patients, grade II OA in 53.8% of patients, grade III OA in 19.2% of patients, and grade IV in 5.7% of patients.
A higher degree of OA “correlated with long-term knee joint stability,” the authors wrote in the abstract.