gms | German Medical Science

Objectives: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture is a debilitating condition and often requires surgery to restore joint stability. Patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) can be used to assess knee function following ACL reconstruction. Outcomes from this type of surgery are thought to be influenced by demographic factors such as age. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of age on early to mid-term clinical outcomes following ACL reconstruction.

Methods: Six PROMs were collected before and after ACL reconstruction which included the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC), Lysholm, Tegner, EQ-5D-5L, and Short Form 12-item Health Survey. PROMs were compared between the Younger Group (<40 years) and the Older Group (40 years and above). The data was also analysed to assess for any correlations between age and post-operative PROMs.

Results and conclusion: A total of 87 patients were included in the study with a mean post-operative follow-up of 2.3 years (range 1 to 7 years). Pre-operatively, the Younger Group had significantly better KOOS pain (p=0.007), KOOS ADL (p<0.001), KOOS overall (p=0.017), IKDC (p=0.005), Lysholm (p=0.015), Tegner (p<0.001) and SF-12 PCS (p=0.001) as compared to the Older Group. However, post-operatively only the Tegner (p<0.001) was significantly better in the Younger group, whilst all other scores were comparable. Overall, PROMs had very little correlation with age following surgery.

Older patients with ACL instability have just as much to gain as younger patients from surgical intervention. Therefore, age should not be a contra-indication to ACL reconstruction.