title: Flexible carbon fibre in late ligamentous reconstruction for instability of the knee.
abstract: Sixty-three knees with chronic ligamentous instability treated with flexible carbon fibre are reviewed. Assessment was by pre-operative and postoperative grading of function in work and sport, together with a subjective evaluation of the result based on stability. Fifteen knees had collateral repairs, seven had cruciate repairs and 41 had combined collateral and cruciate repairs. Overall, 71% of knees showed improvement in function and 67% had good or excellent results subjectively. Clinical examination did not correlate well with the patient's evaluation of the result. Nineteen unselected cases with intra-articular (cruciate) carbon fibre had arthroscopies. Infiltration of collagen tissues into the cruciate replacement was a slower process than at the extra-articular (collateral) site. There was no clinical or macroscopic evidence of synovitis but microscopically there was evidence of synovial irritation.
mesh_terms: D001182:Arthroscopy; D002244:Carbon; D000077482:Carbon Fiber; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007593:Joint Instability / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008023:Ligaments, Articular / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008722:Methods; D011182:Postoperative Care; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013583:Synovial Membrane / Q000473:pathology; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000077482:Carbon Fiber; D002244:Carbon