title: Meniscal tears sustained awaiting anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.
abstract: We reviewed 68 patients who underwent anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction after initial EUA & arthroscopy in the knee unit of a United Kingdom district general hospital. Mean time between injury and ACL reconstruction surgery was 23.3 months with the incidence of meniscal tear at reconstruction being 67.6%. In this series 10.3% of patients sustained a meniscal tear in the delay period between arthroscopy and reconstruction surgery. Meniscal tear is strongly associated with ACL rupture and also a poorer outcome following reconstruction surgery. The delay in diagnosis and wait for reconstruction surgery that patients experience are potentially worsening surgical outcomes in the anterior cruciate deficient knee.
authors.affiliation: Havering Knee Unit, Oldchurch Hospital, Waterloo Road, Romford, Essex, RM7 0BE, UK. ortho@houseofjoy2000.freeserve.co.uk
authors.forename: Nicholas J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: de Roeck
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lang-Stevenson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000070598:Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries; D001182:Arthroscopy / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012421:Rupture; D000070600:Tibial Meniscus Injuries; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D006113:United Kingdom; D014850:Waiting Lists