[Surgical treatment of knee joint ligaments]

Because injuries of the ligaments of the knee joint, during 11 years 58 operations have been performed by the authors. In order to evaluate the late results, all patients have been reexamined 1 to 10 years after the operation. In more than the half of the cases at the least 2 ligament injuries have been operated on. 31 patients underwent the operation within two weeks after the injury, and the other patients later on. The authors' material and results are compared also with the data of the literature. In the authors' opinion the result of the surgical treatment is not decisively depending on the chosen operative method. The early and exact diagnosis--forming the basis of the suitable treatment--are of far greater importance. The perfect operative technique and the consequent rehabilitation are indispensable requirements of all surgical interventions. After severe ligament injury of the knee joint the surgical intervention allowed to 2/3 or 3/4 of the injured patients to return to work with stabilized knee. In younger patients also sporting may be possible. Therefore the surgical treatment of the knees, which became unstable because of ligament injury, is absolutely indicated in patients in working age.