THE EFFECT OF TOURNIQUET USE IN ANTERIOR CRUCIATE LIGAMENT RECONSTRUCTION - A PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED STUDY

To evaluate the effect of tourniquet use during anterior cruciate liga ment reconstruction, 40 consecutive patients were randomized into two groups: Group I (tourniquet) and Group II (no tourniquet). Preoperativ e evaluation included electromyography, measurement of thigh and calf girth, and determination of serum creatinine phosphokinase levels, Ini tial postoperative evaluations included serial creatinine phosphokinas e determinations. At 1 and 6 months postoperatively, the electromyogra phic examination was repeated and thigh and calf girth measurements we re obtained, At 6 months and 1 year after surgery, the following evalu ations were made: thigh and calf girth, KT-1000 arthrometric testing, isokinetic testing of quadriceps and hamstring muscles, single-legged hop test for time single-legged hop test for distance, and the Lysholm knee score, In Group I, the tourniquet was inflated for an average of 87 minutes, with an average pressure of 269 mm Kg. At 1 month postope ratively, 6 of 20 patients in Group had positive electromyographic rec ordings (compared with 2 of 20 in Group II, P = 0.08), At 1 month, thi gh girths measured 10 cm proximal to the medial joint line suggested m ore atrophy in the tourniquet group (P = 0.07), At 6 months, all elect romyographic recordings had returned to normal. At 6 months and 1 year postoperatively, girth measurements, isokinetic strength testing, fun ctional testing, KT-1000 arthrometer evaluation, and the Lysholm knee scores were similar for both groups.