Simultaneous bilateral anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: a safe option.
When patients present with bilateral anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) deficiency and require reconstruction in both knees, a single setting or staged approach can be adopted. Although single-setting reconstruction has been described, there are no published case series that describe simultaneous bilateral ACL reconstruction. We report a case series of eight patients who underwent simultaneous bilateral ACL reconstruction. We used two-camera stack systems to allow for truly simultaneous bilateral surgery by two surgical teams. At 2 weeks, all patients were independent in mobility. There was no difference in pivot shift, Lysholm and Tegner scores at 1 year when compared to published outcomes for unilateral ACL reconstruction. The median duration of follow-up was 28 months (range 12-50 months). Based on these small numbers, our results demonstrate that simultaneous bilateral ACL reconstruction is a safe and clinically effective option when using either hamstring or patella tendon graft.
Department of Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery, University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire, Clifford Bridge Road, Coventry, CV2 2DX, UK. asaithna@doctors.org.uk
Adnan
A
Saithna
Jamie
J
Arbuthnot
Richard
R
Carey-Smith
Tim
T
Spalding
D000328:Adult; D016118:Anterior Cruciate Ligament / Q000601:surgery*; D000070598:Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries; D001182:Arthroscopy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007593:Joint Instability / Q000601:surgery; D007718:Knee Injuries / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D017847:Patellar Ligament / Q000637:transplantation; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013710:Tendons / Q000637:transplantation