The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Vol 73, Issue 9 1294-1300, Copyright © 1991 by Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Inc
Reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament with a Dacron prosthesis
E Lopez-Vazquez, JA Juan, E Vila and J Debon
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Hospital de Sagunto, Valencia, Spain.
We repaired the anterior cruciate ligament of the knee using a Dacron
prosthesis in fifty-four patients. Nineteen patients had an acute injury of
the anterior cruciate ligament, and thirty-five had a chronic rupture. In
each patient, only one knee was involved. In twenty-six patients, the
prosthesis was implanted arthroscopically, and in twenty-eight, the
operation was done by arthrotomy. The length of follow-up ranged from two
to five years. In thirty-one patients, a second arthroscopy of the knee was
done at follow-up, and the findings were recorded. Only twenty-three
patients were free of symptoms at the latest follow-up. Stability and the
scores on the grading system of Lysholm and Gillquist were excellent in the
first postoperative year; the results worsened due to complications
occurring in the second year of follow-up. There were no differences in the
results between patients who had a closed procedure and those who had an
open procedure. No differences were noted between the patients who had an
acute injury and those who had a chronic rupture. Twenty-six failures were
directly related to the prosthesis, including rupture of the femoral
insertion (thirteen) or tibial insertion (three), rupture of the central
body (seven), and elongation in continuity (three). We concluded that a
free Dacron prosthesis that is used to replace or supplement a torn
anterior cruciate ligament is not a durable substitute for that ligament.
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