Injury of infrapatellar branch of saphenous nerve during anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction does not affect knee function

Objective To investigate the effect of subacromial branch injury on knee joint function in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with autograft tendon. Methods Retrospective analysis of the cases of autogenous allograft reconstruction of anterior cruciate ligament in the Department of Handsurgery, the Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University from February 2014 to December 2016. According to the presence or absence of anterior tibial skin sensory disorder, the patients were divided into a sensory disorder group and a non-sensory disorder group.The postoperative knee Lysholm score, VAS pain score and postoperative complications were compared by t test and chi-square test. Results According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 97 patients were enrolled in the study, 20 in the sensory disorder group and 77 in the non-sensory group. There were no significant differences in gender, age, BMI, Lysholm scores, VAS or extra tendon occurrence between the two groups (P>0.05). There was no significant differences in Lysholm scores or VAS between the two groups 12 months after the surgery(P>0.05). Conclusion The anterior tibial skin sensory disturbance caused by saphenous nerve injury in the anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with autograft tendon does not adversely affect the function of the knee joint. Key words: Arthroscopy; Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction; Transplantation, heterotopic; Knee injuries; Treatment outcome