Information for Medical Professionals

Functional outcome of early ACL reconstruction not time-dependent

The functional outcome of early anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction is similar regardless of when it is performed.

Researchers have claimed that the outcome of surgery conducted anywhere between two and six weeks after injury is the same.

Published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, the study, entitled A Comparison of Early and Delayed Arthroscopically-assisted Reconstruction of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament using Hamstring Autograft, showed that differences in outcome were statistically insignificant and no distinction could be made between ligaments repaired at different times during subsequent assessment using Lysholm, Tegner and range of movement scores.

The researchers looked at 105 consecutive patients with grade one or two chondral lesions, none of whom were competitive athletes.
Mean follow-up was 32 months.

Earlier research published in the journal showed that anterior cruciate ligament surgery should be performed within a year of an injury occurring to ensure that the risk of chondral changes taking place is minimised.

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