2015 ISAKOS Biennial Congress ePoster #1297
Laxity Following Anatomic ACL Reconstruction is Associated with Reduced Disease-Specific Quality of Life Scores
S. Mark A. Heard, MD, FRCS, Canmore, AB CANADA
Laurie A. Hiemstra, MD, PhD, FRCSC, Banff, AB CANADA
Greg Buchko, MD, FRCSC, Canmore, Alberta CANADA
S. Mark A. Heard, MD, FRCS, Canmore, AB CANADA
Banff Sport Medicine, Banff, Alberta, CANADA
FDA Status Not Applicable
Summary: Patients with clinically measurable ACL graft laxity demonstrate lower ACL-QOL scores post-operatively.
Abstract:
Laxity Following Anatomic ACL Reconstruction is Associated with Reduced Disease-Specific Quality of Life Scores
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to assess the frequency of ACL laxity following primary anatomic hamstring autograft ACL reconstruction, and to determine whether patients with objective ACL laxity demonstrated a significant difference in scoring on the Anterior Cruciate Ligament Quality of Life (ACL-QOL) questionnaire.
Relevance:
The importance of post-operative laxity following ACL reconstruction including the influence of laxity on quality of life is not known.
Materials And Methods
A prospective cohort study design (n = 1174) was used to gather data on clinical and quality of life outcomes. Post-operative ACL laxity assessment using the Lachman and Pivot-shift tests was completed independently on each patient by a physiotherapist and an orthopaedic surgeon at a minimum of 24-months post-operatively. Patients completed the ACL-QOL at the 24-month post-operative appointment. The degree and frequency of post-operative laxity was calculated. A comparison of ACL-QOL scores for patients presenting with no laxity, compared with positive laxity on the Lachman and/or Pivot-shift tests was performed to assess for between-group differences. A Pearson r correlation assessed the relationship between ACL graft laxity and ACL-QOL scores.
Results
Two-years post-operatively 14.7% of patients demonstrated a positive Lachman and/or Pivot-shift test. The mean ACL-QOL score for patients with no ACL laxity was 82.1/100, for patients with a positive Lachman or Pivot-shift test the mean score was 73.4/100, and for patients with both positive Lachman and Pivot-shift tests the score was 67.7/100. Pearson r correlation coefficient demonstrated a significant relationship between the presence of ACL graft laxity and ACL-QOL score (0.61, p < 0.05).
Conclusions
Patients with clinically measurable ACL graft laxity demonstrate lower ACL-QOL scores. Further study is required to identify factors that may be associated with the development of laxity.