title: Does bone debris in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction really matter? A cohort study of a protocol for bone debris debridement.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purpose of the current study was to determine whether a systematic five-step protocol for debridement and evacuation of bone debris during anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) reduces the presence of such debris on post-operative radiographs.
  
  
  METHODS
  A five-step protocol for removal of bone debris during arthroscopic assisted ACLR was designed. It was applied to 60 patients undergoing ACLR (Group 1), and high-quality digital radiographs were taken post-operatively in each case to assess for the presence of intra-articular bone debris. A control group of 60 consecutive patients in whom no specific bone debris protocol was applied (Group 2) and their post-operative radiographs were also checked for the presence of intra-articular bone debris.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In Group 1, only 15% of post-operative radiographs showed residual bone debris, compared to 69% in Group 2 (p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A five-step systematic protocol for bone debris removal during arthroscopic assisted ACLR resulted in a significant decrease in residual bone debris seen on high-quality post-operative radiographs.
authors.affiliation: South West London Elective Orthopaedic Centre Dorking Road Epsom KT18 7EG London, UK ; Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University Circular Road 41522 Ismailia Egypt.
authors.forename: Mohamed A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Imam
authors.affiliation: Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University Circular Road 41522 Ismailia Egypt.
authors.forename: Ashraf
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Abdelkafy
authors.affiliation: South West London Elective Orthopaedic Centre Dorking Road Epsom KT18 7EG London, UK.
authors.forename: Feroz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dinah
authors.affiliation: South West London Elective Orthopaedic Centre Dorking Road Epsom KT18 7EG London, UK.
authors.forename: Ajeya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Adhikari
keywords: Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction; Bone debris; Cyclops lesion; Debridement; Protocol