Abstract des Autors

With the help of a retrospective analysis of 107 consecutive arthroscopies of athletes with acute tears of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), the injury patterns, types and frequency of associated injuries are described, independent of injury mechanism. In 55% of these cases the lateral meniscus, in 45% the medial meniscus and in 34% the medial collateral ligament were also injured. The most frequent combination was an ACL tear with injury of both menisci, followed by the combination of medial collateral ligament damage and injury to the lateral meniscus. Of the 167 associated injuries seen during arthroscopy or arthrotomy, 84 required additional surgical intervention. Of these procedures, 69% were carried out arthroscopically. The presented results show that all acute tears of the ACL should undergo an arthroscopy to permit immediate treatment of the associated injuries, independent of the form and timing of the ligament reconstruction. Verf.-Referat