Results of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in older athletes

Abstract text (incl. references and figure legends)

BACKGROUND: Older adults remain active for longer and continue to participate in sports and activities that require rotation on 1 leg later in life. The rate of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears is therefore increasing in the over-40s, with an associated increase in the rate of surgical reconstruction, but there is little literature on its effectiveness. The aim of this study is to compare the outcomes of elderly patients who have undergone ACLR with those of a younger group of patients.
Materials and Methods: patients who underwent patella grafting (bone-patella tendon-bone, BPTB) at the Department of Traumatology, University of Szeged, Hungary, were included in the study with a 5-year follow-up. Patients were divided into groups based on demographic and clinical data, respectively young athletes 40 years, with an additional 3 subgroups of 10-10 years older athletes. Primary outcome measures were graft function and the difference between sites. Secondary outcome measures were patient complaints, pain and functionality in daily life (Lysholm scale, 0-100). Results were analysed by one-way ANOVA and Dunn's post hoc test.
Results: 131 patients were included in the study between 2011 and 2015. Graft failure (rupture/expansion ≥ 6 mm) occurred in 7 cases. Patients' complaints were reduced with good outcome in both young and senior groups, with Lysholm scale scores of 96.89±4.45 vs 96.77±2.843 (p=0.103). No significant side difference was found between the groups 2.49±1.2 mm vs 3.05±1.8 mm (p=0.111).
Conclusions: The results of ACL reconstruction in senior athletes are similar to those of younger (

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