Simultaneous bilateral anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: a safe option

Abstract

When patients present with bilateral anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) deficiency and require reconstruction in both knees, a single setting or staged approach can be adopted. Although single-setting reconstruction has been described, there are no published case series that describe simultaneous bilateral ACL reconstruction. We report a case series of eight patients who underwent simultaneous bilateral ACL reconstruction. We used two-camera stack systems to allow for truly simultaneous bilateral surgery by two surgical teams. At 2 weeks, all patients were independent in mobility. There was no difference in pivot shift, Lysholm and Tegner scores at 1 year when compared to published outcomes for unilateral ACL reconstruction. The median duration of follow-up was 28 months (range 12–50 months). Based on these small numbers, our results demonstrate that simultaneous bilateral ACL reconstruction is a safe and clinically effective option when using either hamstring or patella tendon graft.