Anterior cruciate ligament tear in Hong Kong Chinese patients

To investigate the associations between patient sex, age, cause of injury, and frequency of meniscus and articular cartilage lesions seen at the time of the anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

University affiliated hospital, Hong Kong.

Medical notes and operating records of 672 Chinese patients who had received anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction between January 1997 and December 2010 were reviewed. Data concerning all knee cartilage and meniscus injuries documented at the time of surgery were analysed.

Of the 593 patients, meniscus injuries were identified in 315 (53.1%). Patients older than 30 years were more likely to suffer from meniscal injury compared with those younger than 30 years (60% vs 51%, P=0.043). Longer surgical delay was observed in patients with meniscal lesions compared with those without (median, 12.3 months vs 9.1 months, P=0.021). Overall, 139 cartilage lesions were identified in 109 (18.4%) patients. Patients with cartilage lesions were significantly older than those without the lesions (mean, 27.6 years vs 25.1 years, P=0.034). Male patients were more likely to have chondral injuries than female patients (20.1% vs 10.9%, P=0.028). The risk of cartilage lesions was increased by nearly 3 times in the presence of meniscal tear (P<0.0001; odds ratio=2.7; 95% confidence interval, 1.7-4.2).

Increased age and surgical delay increased the risk of meniscal tears in patients with anterior cruciate ligament tear. Increased age, male sex, and presence of meniscal tear were associated with an increased frequency of articular lesions after an anterior cruciate ligament tear.