Abstract

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is one of the most common injuries of the knee joint. Long-term subjective and objective outcomes after ACL reconstruction have not been widely studied. The aim of the current study was to retrospectively evaluate subjective and objective outcomes measures 20 years after ACL reconstruction. The study subjects were 15 male patients whose ACL was reconstructed using bonetendon-bone (BTB) autograft. The results revealed a statistically significant difference between the operated and non-operated knees on every KOOS subscale, the most marked difference being in quality of life subscore (p≤0.005). There were also statistically significant differences in knee extensor’s isokinetic peak torque at a speed of 60°/sec (p≤0.008) and 180°/sec (p≤0.005). Knee flexor’s isokinetic peak torque did not show a statistically significant difference for either tested speed. Surgically reconstructed ACL with autologous BTB graft showde lower values of knee extensior’s isokinetic strength and more pronounced subjective problems compared to the non-operated knees 20 years after reconstruction.