Anterior cruciate ligament injuries in the skeletally immature patient.
Injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament in children and youth pose a complex clinical challenge. The literature does not provide the clinician with a well-defined natural history or pathoanatomy, nor does it show agreement as to the outcomes of various treatment choices. Decision making is made difficult by the patients' skeletal and emotional immaturity and by associated intra-articular fracture, physeal fracture, and combination injuries. In an effort to place the problem of ACL injury in children and youth into some perspective and to present an algorithm for management, this article reviews issues in its diagnosis, classification, anatomy, mechanism of injury, and management.
Cleveland Clinic Foundation Health Sciences Center, Ohio State University, USA.
J T
JT
Andrish
D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D000070598:Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D007718:Knee Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D020127:Recovery of Function; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D016896:Treatment Outcome