Information for Medical Professionals

Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction 'should be performed within a year'

Surgeons should perform anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction within the first year of the injury occurring in order to minimise the risks of chondral changes and meniscal tears, it has been claimed.

According to new research published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, patients should also be warned about the consequences of anterior cruciate ligament damage.

"We advocate that patients with deficiency of the anterior cruciate ligament should be counselled that there is a significant relationship between the duration of the instability of their knee and the subsequent incidence of both chondral changes and meniscal tears," the researchers claimed.

The scientists behind the study, entitled Timing of Reconstruction of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament in Athletes and the Incidence of Secondary Pathology Within the Knee, looked at a total of 300 patients who underwent ligament reconstruction.

They found that there was a significant increase in the likelihood of meniscal tears occurring in patients who underwent surgery a year after their initial injury.

However, earlier research published in the journal claimed that the optimal time for cruciate ligament repair remained unclear.

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