RESUMO
BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to objectively evaluate the clinical functionality of the knee joint 30â¯years after surgical augmentation of the ACL with the "Kennedy Ligament Augmentation Device ®" (Kennedy LAD®). METHODS: The patient collective consisted of 41 patients with an average age of 59.51â¯years (±10.18 standard deviation). Included were all patients treated operatively with a Kennedy LAD® augmented reattachment of the ACL at the Department of Trauma Surgery between 1983 and 1985. The state of the knee joint was evaluated with the following measures: Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score, Lysholm Score, Short Form (36) Health Survey, International Knee Documentation Committee Score (IKDC, objectiveâ¯+â¯subjective form) and Tegner Activity Scale. RESULTS: Seven patients (17%) sustained a re-rupture of the Kennedy LAD® augmented ACL after a mean time of 16.28â¯years. Five of them underwent revision surgery. Another four patients (9.76%) showed an ACL insufficiency in clinical examination. The average IKDC Score was 74.14⯱â¯16.62, the average Lysholm Score was 86.83⯱â¯14.10, the average Tegner Activity Scale was 4.34⯱â¯1.11, and the average Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score was 86.25⯱â¯11.64 at final follow-up. The mean Kellgren Lawrence Score of the operated knee was 2⯱â¯0.71. CONCLUSION: An overall good outcome 30â¯years after primary ACL augmented repair with the Kennedy LAD® with an implant survival rate of 73% could be reached. These results therefore support the trend of ACL augmentation in selected cases. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Retrospective study, Level IV.