Arthroscopic reconstruction of multiple ligaments injury of knees

Objective To describe the surgical technique and outcomes of arthroscopic reconstruction anterior cruciate ligament （ACL） and posterior cruciate ligament （PCL） and repair of the injured posteromedial complex （PMC） or posterolateral complex （PLC） structures of the knee joint in treatment of multiple ligaments injuries of knee. Methods From March 2005 to May 2007, 43 patients with multiple ligaments injuries of knee underwent arthroscopic reconstruction. Twenty-four patients were treated with arthroscopic reconstruction of combined ACL and PCL with allograft tendons and augmentation of PMC. The other 19 patients were treated with repair the PLC in addition to reconstruction of ACL and PCL. The International Knee Documentation Committee （IKDC） and Lysholm knee score were used for function evaluation. Results All patients were followed up for 24 to 48 months with an average of 33.10±9.65 months. The stability recovered when stress was applied to the knee at 0° and 20° of flexion. According to IKDC there was a significant improvement from severely abnormal （graded D） in 43 cases before surgery to normal （graded A） in 29 cases （67%）, nearly normal （graded B） 11 cases （26%） and abnormal （graded C） 3 cases （7%） at follow-up. The average Lysholm score of the all cases were 46.7±4.2 and 89.6±2.8 before operation and at final follow-up, respectively （t=8.563, P＜0.01）. Conclusion Excellence clinical results and good stability were achieved with arthrescopic reconstruction of ACL and PCL combined with repair or augmentation of the PMC and PLC simultaneously. Key words: Knee joint;  Arthroscopy;  Ligaments;  Reconstructive surgical procedures