Most comprehensive study to date on ACL surgery finds younger patients and women are more likely to need subsequent surgery

10/01/2009 Rosemont, IL

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are one of the most common injuries to the knee. Each year thousands of patients undergo reconstructive surgery to repair these injuries. According to a new study published in the October 2009 issue of The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS), the number of patients undergoing ACL reconstruction is increasing substantially and women and younger patients are more likely to need subsequent knee surgery following the initial repair.

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he study found that the younger the patient is at the time of the procedure, the more likely they are to need additional ACL surgery within one year after having their initial ACL reconstruction. Researchers observed the following trends:

• Patients 30 to 39 years old had a 19 percent increased risk for additional ACL surgery; and

• Patients 20 to 29 years old had a 43 percent increased risk for additional ACL surgery…

…Study authors looked at more than 70,000 patients who had ACL reconstruction surgery from 1997 to 2006 in the state of New York. In addition to age, other factors contributed to an increased likelihood for subsequent surgery, for instance:

• Female patients are about 18 percent more likely than men to need subsequent knee surgery on one of their knees after ACL surgery; and

• Patients treated by ???lower-volume??? surgeons and at ???lower-volume??? hospitals also are at a higher risk for having subsequent knee surgery.