Meniscal tears sustained awaiting anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

We reviewed 68 patients who underwent anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction after initial EUA & arthroscopy in the knee unit of a United Kingdom district general hospital. Mean time between injury and ACL reconstruction surgery was 23.3 months with the incidence of meniscal tear at reconstruction being 67.6%. In this series 10.3% of patients sustained a meniscal tear in the delay period between arthroscopy and reconstruction surgery. Meniscal tear is strongly associated with ACL rupture and also a poorer outcome following reconstruction surgery. The delay in diagnosis and wait for reconstruction surgery that patients experience are potentially worsening surgical outcomes in the anterior cruciate deficient knee.