Comparison of the single assessment numeric evaluation method and the Lysholm score

The purpose of this study was to determine the correlation between the Lysholm knee score and the Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation method. Between March 1995 and December 1996, 201 followup examinations were performed on 130 college age patients who had undergone anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions. These 201 examinations were divided into five routine followup categories: 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, and greater than 2 years. The Lysholm score from each patient's followup questionnaire was correlated with his or her Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation rating, as determined by his or her written response to the following question: On a scale from zero to 100, how would you rate your knee today (100 being normal)? All data were gathered prospectively. The mean Lysholm scores and Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation ratings ranged from 84.0 to 93.4 points and 80.0 to 93.3 points, respectively. The correlation coefficients between the Lysholm scores and the Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation ratings ranged from 0.58 to 0.87 points. The results of this study indicate that Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation ratings correlate well with measured Lysholm scores in patients with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. The Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation provides clinicians with an alternative mechanism to gather outcomes data with little demand on time and resources.