Langzeitergebnisse nach konservativer oder operativer Therapie der vorderen Kreuzbandruptur

The treatment of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture continues to be a controversial subject. This study was undertaken to compare long-term results of different therapy regimens A total of 52 patients (mean age: 34.7±3.2 years) who underwent ACL reconstruction using the central one third of the patellar tendon and 32 patients (mean age: 38.3±5.2 years) treated conservatively were evaluated 5–7 years clinically, radiologically and with respect to their sports activities. In all, 25% of the patients operated on subjectively rated their knees as ``excellent'', 40.4% as ``very good'', 22.2% ``good'', 12.5% ``fair'' and 0% as ``poor''. The ratings for the conservatively treated group were: 12.9%, 19.4%, 29%, 25.8% and 12.5%, respectively. The results of the OAK score were significantly better for the surgically treated group (87.5±7.1 points compared with 77.1±13.4). An increasing number of degenerative changes were found on radiographs in both groups at follow-up as compared with their pre-injury status.