ACL Reconstruction Improves Reinjury Rates in Skeletally Immature Athletes

Orthopedic Design & Technology—August 14, 2014

Skeletally immature athletes who undergo an all-inside, physeal-sparing anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction with a hamstring autograft can have good clinical outcomes without growth disturbance, according to recent study data.

"All-inside ACL reconstruction demonstrates excellent subjective and objective outcomes," said Danyal H. Nawabi, MD.

In the prospective study, Nawabi and his colleagues at Hospital for Special Surgery evaluated 42 skeletally immature athletes who had a mean age of 12.7 years. The mean bone age was 13.5 years. Overall, 26 patients had an all-epiphyseal ACL reconstruction and 16 patients had a partial transphyseal ACL reconstruction, which spared the femoral physis but crossed the tibial physis. Nawabi and his colleagues used partial transphyseal ACL reconstruction for patients who had minimal proximal tibial growth remaining. Fourteen athletes were involved in recreational sports and 28 patients were competitive athletes. Lacrosse and soccer were the two most common sports played among the high-risk cohort.

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