PARTIAL MENISCECTOMY AND ANTERIOR CRUCIATE LIGAMENT RUPTURE IN SOCCERPLAYERS - A STUDY WITH A MINIMUM 20-YEAR FOLLOW-UP

A retrospective review of 77 soccer players with 91 affected knees tha t had undergone the same operation, a rim-preserving meniscectomy, was made with a minimum followup of 20 years and an average followup of 2 7 years. The patients were divided into groups based on the presence o f an intact (Group 1) or ruptured (Group 2) anterior cruciate ligament . At 5 years after meniscectomy, 75% of Group 1 and 52% of Group 2 wer e still playing soccer, and 13% in Group 1 as opposed to 28% in Group 2 had given up sports. The sporting class assessment was good in 80% o f the Group 1 knees and 62% in the Group 2 knees. By followup, 5% of G roup 1 and 32% of Group 2 required further meniscectomies, and 2% of G roup 1 and 16% of Group 2 required operations for osteoarthritis. Radi ologically diagnosed osteoarthritis was present in 24% of Group 1 knee s compared with 77% of Group 2. Functionally, 60% of the Group 1 knees were excellent at followup as opposed to 9% in Group 2 knees. In Grou p 1, 49% were still involved in sports compared with 22% in Group 2. H owever, 97% of Group 1 were satisfied with their knees compared with 7 4% of Group 2. All of these differences were statistically significant .