Clinical and Functional Results Following Posterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in Young Patients

• Published in: Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) Vol. 16; no. 2; p. e55058
• Main Authors: Kyriakidis, Theofylaktos, Pitsilos, Charalampos, Nenopoulos, Alexandros S, Davitis, Vasileios, Papadopoulos, Polychronis, Gigis, Ioannis
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Cureus Inc 27.02.2024; Cureus
• Subjects: Arthritis; Body mass index; Females; Joint and ligament injuries; Knee; Orthopedics; Patients; Surgeons; Surgery; Tendons; hamstring autograft; posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (pclr); young patients; clinical evaluation; posterior cruciate ligament injury
• ISSN: 2168-8184; 2168-8184
• DOI: 10.7759/cureus.55058

 Posterior cruciate ligament injuries are uncommon, and their management is controversial. However, surgical reconstruction is necessary in case of symptomatic lesions. The present study aimed to analyse patients' reported outcomes and clinical evaluation after isolated posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.  The present study includes 12 patients with posterior cruciate ligament rupture. All patients were treated with arthroscopic surgery using single-bundle hamstring autograft ligament reconstruction. The primary outcome was the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) subjective questionnaire; secondary outcomes included the Lysholm score and stability assessment.  Results: At the time of the surgery, the mean age of the study population was 24 years (range: 18-29), with a body mass index (BMI) of 23.2 kg/m (range: 21-25), and the mean time from injury was five months (range: 1-8). The follow-up period was at least 24 months. The mean IKDC score significantly increased from 68.0 preoperatively to 92.6 at the final follow-up. The Lysholm score also increased from 68.8 to 95.8. Knee stability was classified as normal in all patients after surgery.  The results of this study indicate that the posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with single-bundle hamstring autograft is an efficient treatment option for managing symptomatic young patients. All patients presented good functional and clinical results at two years of follow-up. However, further studies with more participants and a longer follow-up are needed to validate these data.