Evaluation of anterior stability of knee joint following arthroscopic ACL reconstruction with patellar ligament

Abstract

BACKGROUND The aim of the study was to investigate and assess anterior stability of the knee joint before and during 12-month rehabilitation after arthroscopic reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament with the central third of the patellar ligament and stabilization with interference screws (Kenneth-Jones method) and to analyse the effectiveness of the surgery and rehabilitation by patient self-assessment of pain and crepitation in the patello-femoral joint. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study involved a group of 46 patients after arthroscopic ACL reconstruction with the patellar ligament performed in 2005 and 2006. All patients underwent examinations of anterior stability of the knee joint using a KT-1000/S arthrometer. Stability measurements were performed on both knees on the day before surgery, and at 3, 6 and 12 months after the operation. Additionally, the patients subjectively evaluated post-operative pain and crepitation in the patello-femoral joint at 3, 6 and 12 months. RESULTS Knee stability after ACL reconstruction according to the Mazurkiewicz scale using a KT-1000 arthrometer was rated as good and excellent, while the patients subjectively assessed the treatment process in terms of pain and crepitation in the patello-femoral joint at 12 months after the operation as excellent (10.8%), good (74%), and satisfactory (15.2%). CONCLUSIONS Arthroscopic ACL reconstruction with the central third of the patellar ligament and stabilization with interference screws fully restored the lost stability of the knee, but the possibility of pain and crepitations in the patello-femoral joint needs to be taken into account. In the course of rehabilitation, it is natural that an ACL graft may extend as a result of remodeling and the impact of rehabilitation being administered.