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Primary knee ligament repair--revisited
Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research
|October 1, 1985
Summary
Primary repair of medial collateral ligament tears in skiers yielded excellent results. However, anterior cruciate ligament repairs showed high failure rates, suggesting a need for augmentation in these knee sprains.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedic Surgery
- Sports Medicine
- Biomechanics of Skiing Injuries
Background:
- Knee sprains are common skiing injuries.
- Complete ligament tears require effective treatment strategies.
- Evaluating surgical outcomes is crucial for optimizing patient recovery.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the outcomes of primary ligament repair for knee sprains in skiers.
- To compare the success rates of treating isolated medial collateral ligament (MCL) tears versus anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears.
- To investigate the impact of meniscal tears and meniscectomy on surgical outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 302 skiers with complete knee ligament tears treated between 1976-1979.
- Surgical intervention involved primary ligament repair without augmentation.
- Patient outcomes were evaluated at an average of 42 months post-injury.
Main Results:
- Excellent outcomes were observed for isolated medial collateral ligament repairs, with most patients returning to preinjury activity levels.
- High failure rates were noted for isolated anterior cruciate ligament repairs (36%) and combined ACL-MCL injuries (43%) due to anterior cruciate deficiency.
- Meniscal tears were present in 29% of ACL and ACL-MCL injuries, with meniscectomy associated with a doubled failure rate.
Conclusions:
- Primary repair of medial collateral ligament tears is highly effective for skiers.
- Current primary repair techniques for anterior cruciate ligament tears are not acceptable and augmentation is recommended.
- Meniscal tears frequently accompany ligament disruptions, and preserving the meniscus during repair improves outcomes.