The advantage of arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with autograft from the tendons of the semitendinosus - gracilis muscles for the recovery of the stability of the knee.
Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries remain a common orthopaedic disease, particularly in young adults. The treatment of choice for ACL injuries is ACL reconstruction (ligamentoplasty). ACL reconstruction is the surgical intervention used to replace the damaged ACL with a bone-patella tendon-bone (BTB) graft or with soft parts (semitendinosus - gracilis muscles (ST-G) - a method more frequently used nowadays).


METHODS
In the Clinic of Orthopedics and Traumatology of the University Emergency Hospital of Bucharest, during the period 01.01.2009 - 01.03.2011, a number of 37 arthroscopic ACL reconstructions with ST-G were studied, performed to treat ACL isolated injuries or injuries associated with complex trauma of the knee.


RESULTS
Clinical studies have shown that ACL reconstruction is highly superior to ACL repair (suturing). Arthroscopy was the main method of diagnosis in 28 cases, whereas the remaining ACL injuries were diagnosed using the MRI.


CONCLUSIONS
The rehabilitation of the patients who underwent arthroscopic ACL reconstructions with ST-G was easier and faster in comparison with that following the surgical interventions performed with BTB graft during the previous years.
Clinic of Orthopedics and Traumatology I, University Emergency Hospital of Bucharest.
Catalin
C
Cirstoiu
Gheorghe
G
Circota
Corina
C
Panaitescu
Radu
R
Niculaita