The Effect of Postoperative KT-1000 Arthrometer Score on Long-Term Outcome After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction:

Background:Many long-term studies have looked at outcomes after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), but none have correlated long-term outcomes with postoperative laxity greater than 5 mm. It has been stated previously that more than 5 mm of postoperative graft laxity constituted a procedural failure.Purpose:To directly compare tight grafts ( 5 mm) to determine the effect of graft laxity, as measured by KT-1000 arthrometer, after ACLR on long-term clinical outcomes.Study Design:Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2.Methods:The study included 171 consecutive patients who had undergone transtibial bone–patellar tendon–bone ACLR between 1992 and 1998. At 6, 12, and 24 months postoperatively (the immediate postoperative period), patients were evaluated. Group A included patients with a maximal side-to-side (STS) difference in the immediate postoperative period of less than 3 mm (tight grafts), and group B included patients with a maximal STS difference of greater than 5 mm ...