Risk Factors Associated With Grade 3 Pivot Shift After Acute Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries

Recent literature has demonstrated that involvement in pivoting sports at the time of injury, increased posterior-inferior tibial slope (PITS), anterolateral capsular ligament (ALCL) disruptions, and combined lateral meniscal lesions all contribute to a higher grade of pivot shift after acute anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries.

To identify risk factors associated with grade 3 pivot shift after acute ACL injuries.

Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3.

A database of patients undergoing primary ACL reconstruction from 2009 to 2015 after acute ACL injuries was retrospectively reviewed. A total of 30 patients (30 knees) with grade 3 pivot shift were identified as the study group. Moreover, 30 patients (30 knees) with grade 1 and 30 patients (30 knees) with grade 2 pivot shift were randomly chosen as the 2 control groups. All pivot-shift tests were performed with the patients under anesthesia. Predictors of grade 3 pivot shift that were explored included patient age, sex, time from injury to surgery, pivoting sports involvement at the time of injury, lateral PITS, medial PITS, ALCL disruptions, preoperative KT-1000 arthrometer side-to-side difference, and combined lateral or medial meniscal lesions. Comparisons were performed between the study group and the 2 control groups. Univariable and multivariable logistic regressions were used to identify independent risk factors that were associated with grade 3 pivot shift.

Univariable and multivariable logistic regressions between the study group and the 2 control groups showed that pivoting sports involvement at the time of injury (odds ratio1 [OR1; grade 3 vs grade 1 pivot shift with grade 1 = reference], 11.88; 95% CI, 1.94-149.91; OR2 [grade 3 vs grade 2 pivot shift with grade 2 = reference], 3.41; 95% CI, 1.92-22.60), abnormal degree of lateral PITS (OR1, 14.41; 95% CI, 1.69-174.78; OR2, 6.41; 95% CI, 1.48-47.70), ALCL disruptions (OR1, 8.28; 95% CI, 1.71-117.14; OR2, 4.96; 95% CI, 1.07-28.75), and combined lateral meniscal lesions (OR1, 27.56; 95% CI, 5.48-240.52; OR2, 5.83; 95% CI, 1.21-38.56) were independent risk factors of grade 3 pivot shift after acute ACL injuries.

For acute ACL injuries, the best set of predictors of grade 3 pivot shift were pivoting sports involvement at the time of injury, abnormal lateral PITS, ALCL disruptions, and combined lateral meniscal lesions. These results may provide additional information for counseling patients on residual laxity and risks for graft rerupture after ACL reconstruction.