[Results after primary suture of rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament. A 4-5 year follow-up]

Forty patients (40 knees) with acute isolated or combined lesions of the anterior cruciate ligament treated by means of primary suture without reinforcement were followed-up 4-5 years postoperatively. In 75% of the patients, follow-up examination revealed clinical instability of the anterior cruciate ligament but only 25% of these had noteworthy subjective complaints (Lysholm knee score less than 83) and no significant difference was observed between the median knee scores for the group of patients with unstable knees and those with stable knees. On the other hand, however, a significant decrease in the level of activity (Tegner activity scale) was observed in patients with unstable knee joints as compared with patients with stable knees. These patients compensated for the defective stability by reducing the level of activity. Primary suture without plastic reinforcement cannot be recommended as the method of treatment of acute lesions of the anterior cruciate ligament because it does not provide long-term stability in the majority of patients.