Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: long-term prognosis

Very often injuries of the anterior cruciate ligament lead to persistent gross instability and degenerative changes of the knee joint The goal of operative reconstruction is to restore the injured knee to prevent additional damages.The technique of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction has improved over the last decade with excellent long-term results. Both the patellar tendon autograft and hamstring tendon technique achieve similar results at least in the midterm course. Even though long-term follow- up studies showed that ACL reconstruction can prevent gross instability, however progression of degenerative changes in the reconstructed knee remains a concern. Further studies are needed to evaluate current approaches critically and perhaps to replace them by advanced techniques.