A Prospective Observational Study on Short-Term Functional Outcome of Arthroscopic Anterior Cruciate Ligament Repair of Proximal Tears Using Knotless Single Suture Anchor Technique

Abstract

Purpose: To assess the clinical outcomes in patients with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) proximal tears undergoing arthroscopic primary repair with knotless single suture anchor technique. Methods: The first twenty-two consecutive patients with proximal ACL tears (Sherman types I and II and high-grade partial tears) treated with arthroscopic primary repair with single suture anchor technique were evaluated until 6 months post-operatively. Patients were evaluated with validated functional outcome measures (IKDC and Lysholm scores) and clinical tests for ACL stability. Results: At 6-month follow-up, 91% of patients (n = 20) achieved excellent outcome measures for IKDC and Lysholm scores and had complete stability of the ACL to clinical testing. Two patients with poor outcomes at six weeks; one with subjective instability and the other underwent revision surgery represented a failure rate of 9%. The median Lysholm score was 96 (IQ range, 96–100) and median IKDC subjective score was 87.40 (IQ range, 78.20–88.50) at 6-month follow-up. The improvement in Lysholm and IKDC scores over a period of six months post-operatively was statistically significant when compared to preoperative scores (p ≪ 0.0001). Maximum improvement in clinical outcomes is achieved in the first 6 weeks post-surgery with a slower increase thereafter, a time interval which may be considered as a figurative yield point for future work in this field. Conclusion: Arthroscopic ACL primary repair with knotless single suture anchor technique provides excellent short-term clinical outcomes in a carefully selected subset of patients with proximal ACL tears. More powered and longer duration studies are needed to understand longer term outcomes. Level of Evidence: Level IV, therapeutic case series.