ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to compare the results between early and delayed reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in patients with combined medial collateral ligament (MCL) injuries. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From February 2001 to January 2007, fifty-five patients who had undergone ACL reconstruction for combined ACL and MCL injuries and who were followed for more than 18 months were included in this study. The Tegner Activity Score, the Lysholm Knee Scoring Scale, the interval to recover 90degrees of motion, the Lachman test, the anterior and valgus laxity noted on stress radiograph, and the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC, 1993) documentation were recorded and compared between the early reconstruction group, which underwent ACL reconstruction within 3 weeks, and the delayed reconstruction group, which underwent ACL reconstruction after 3 weeks. RESULTS: At the final follow up, the Tegner score was 7.4 in the early reconstruction group and 7.6 in the delayed reconstruction group. The Lysholom score was 90.5 and 91.3, respectively (p>0.05). All the cases were rated near normal or normal on the IKDC subjective assessment. The early reconstruction group needed a longer time to recover motion and especially in the female patients. However, there was no statistical difference between the groups for the final range of motion, in addition to the Lachman test and the anterior or valgus laxity. CONCLUSION: In this study, satisfactory clinical and radiological results were obtained in both the early and delayed reconstruction groups. The early reconstruction of the ACL seems to be one of the surgical options for reconstruction of acute ACL injury combined with torn MCL.