Treatment outcome after one-stage reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament and mosaicplasty of the articular cartilage of the knee.

Background. Chronic rotational instability of the knee after damage to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) fairly quickly produces undesirable secondary changes in the joint. Concomitant damage may affect the meniscus or the articular cartilage of the femoral condyle. The purpose of our study was to compare outcome in patients who had undergone one-stage surgical repair of damage to the ACL and articular cartilage. Material and methods. We studied 17 patients with associated cartilage and ligament damage. The control group consisted of 36 patients with isolated ACL damage. Joint function was assessed according to the Marshall Scale and the Lysholm and Gilquist Scale. Examinations were performed before treatment, 2 and 6 weeks post-operatively, and again 3, 6 and 12 months after surgery. Results. In the course of rehabilitation we observed a slightly slower recovery in the patients with combined damage up to 6 months after surgery. There were no statistically significant differences in rehabilitation outcome at the end of the observation period Conclusions. This treatment method has the potential to permanently remedy knee slippage and cancel its early effects. The surgical outcome in repair of damage to the patellofemoral joint, combined with centralization of the knee's extension apparatus, are comparable at 2 years to centralization of the patella alone when the normal structure of the articular cartilage has been perserved.