Comparison Between Magnetic Resonance imaging Findings and Knee Stability: Measurements After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Repair With and Without Augmentation A Five- to Seven-Year Followup of 52 Patients

We compared magnetic resonance imaging findings with knee stability measurements in a group of 52 pa tients 5 to 7 years after repair of an acute anterior cru ciate ligament rupture. The patients underwent one of three surgical procedures: nonaugmented repair using the Palmer technique, repair with synthetic augmenta tion, and repair with biologic augmentation. The appear ances of the menisci, subchondral bone, and cartilage were also assessed. Of the patients with clinically stable knees in the nonaugmented repair group, the repaired ligament appeared to be present and intact in 54% (7 of 13) of the patients. In the group with the repair aug mented with the ligament augmentation device, 33% (4 of 12) demonstrated repair integrity, whereas in the group with patellar tendon augmentation of the repair, 82% (14 of 17) of the patients with clinically stable knees had intact ligaments on magnetic resonance imaging. Twelve patients had new and complete ruptures of one of the menisci, nine of which occurred in u...