REVISION ANTERIOR CRUCIATE LIGAMENT SURGERY - EXPERIENCE FROM GERMANY

From 1976 to 1992, reconstruction after failed anterior cruciate ligam ent repair or reconstruction was done for 87 patients (8%) compared wi th 1064 primary operations at the authors' institution, Fifty-seven pa tients had 1 previous reconstruction, 27 patients had 2, and 3 patient s had 3 or more previous reconstructions, Fifty-two patients (60%) wer e satisfied with their results after a mean followup time of 8 years ( range, 2-18 years), Lysholm scores after revisions (68 +/- 12) were si gnificantly inferior compared with scores after primary anterior cruci ate ligament surgery (83 +/- 14), The authors favor the use of the pat ellar tendon or quadriceps tendon autograft in revision surgery, Media l meniscus reconstruction is done whenever possible, or the medial men iscus is replaced by autograft tissue, Open or arthroscopic techniques are used, depending on the individual case.