title: Tears of the anterior cruciate ligament in adolescents.
abstract: Tears of the anterior cruciate ligament in adolescents are rare. From 1977 to 1983 we did a surgical reconstruction of that ligament, using the semitendinosus and gracilis tendons, in twenty-four athletes who were twelve to fifteen years old. We routinely supplemented that procedure with the Ellison or Losee extra-articular reconstruction. The length of follow-up averaged thirty-five months. There were sixteen excellent, seven good, and one fair-plus result. Only one patient showed a significant growth abnormality. Use of the semitendinosus and gracilis tendons did not significantly decrease the strength of flexion or internal rotation as measured by the Cybex-II dynamometer.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000601:surgery*; D002648:Child; D005081:Exercise Therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008023:Ligaments, Articular / Q000293:injuries* / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D011859:Radiography; D012421:Rupture; D013709:Tendon Transfer / Q000379:methods*