Abstract
To determine the prevalence of osteoarthritis in the knee in the long term after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction, the files of patients who underwent the procedure from June 1984 to December 1990 were examined. Forty-three patients were contacted, of whom 33 (subgroup A) were willing to be examined clinically and radiologically. The other 10 agreed to a telephonic interview.
The Lysholm Knee Score (LKS) and the Petersson radiographic grading system for evaluation of osteoarthritis were used as the main measurements of outcome. The mean age at injury was 24.35 years. The mean interval between injury and surgery was 83.83 months. the mean LKS was 84.35. In subgroup A, 18.18% knees were Petersson grade 0, 30.3% grade I, 12,12% grade II, 30.3% grade III and 9.09% grade IV.
The results show that even in the long term a relatively positive outcome may be expected after ACL reconstruction
The abstracts were prepared by Professor M. B. E. Sweet. Correspondence should be addressed to him at PO Box 47363, Parklands, Johannesburg 2121, South Africa.
