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Eighteen- to Twenty-Five-Year Follow-up After Acute Partial Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rupture

Department of Neuroscience and Locomotion, Division of Sports Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden

* Address correspondence and reprint requests to Karola Messner, MD, PhD, Sports Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, 581 85 Linköping, Sweden

Of 22 consecutive patients with minor knee instability after a partial rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament, all could be reexamined after a mean of 12 years and all but 1 could be reexamined after a mean of 20 years. Three patients needed surgery during the follow-up period, but nobody had an anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. The Lysholm knee function score was excellent and did not change between 12 and 20 years. Patients had decreased their activities from contact sports before injury to physical fitness activities at the late follow-up. Four patients changed activities because of a knee problem. The quality of life score was somewhat higher than may be expected in an age-matched average population. At late follow-up, eight patients had a 1+ Lachman sign, two a 2+ Lachman sign, and one a positive pivot shift. Also at late follow-up, 7 knees showed no signs of radiographic osteoarthrosis, 10 had Fairbank’s signs, and 3 had minor and 1 a major joint space reduction. Of the 12 patients with longitudinal radiographic observation, 3 knees had developed a higher degree of osteoarthrosis, and 9 had remained unchanged. The patients had a mean age of 48 years at the late follow-up. This suggests that the results may be regarded as final outcome after this specific knee injury.

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