ISOLATED POSTERIOR CRUCIATE LIGAMENT RECONSTRUCTION - LONG-TERM RESULTS

From 1973 to 1987, 28 patients seen at our institution sustained isola ted posterior cruciate ligament tears. Of these 28 patients, 25 were r eevaluated at an average followup of 7 years and 1 month after seconda ry reconstruction of the posterior cruciate ligament using the semiten dinosus and gracilis tendons alone or with an extraarticular procedure . Subjectively, 22 of 25 patients related no restrictions regarding ac tivities of daily living, with 14 of 25 patients being able to return to their previous competitive level in sports. Objective evaluation af ter reconstruction revealed no change in the preoperative and postoper ative posterior drawer examination in 13 of 25 patients, a Wing confir med by KT-1000 arthrometer measurements. Radiographic evaluation revea led degenerative changes predominantly involving the medial and patell ofemoral compartments in 15 of 25 patients. Despite optimistic subject ive reporting, this long-term retrospective study reveals that this pr ocedure inconsistently limits posterior instability and therefore cann ot be recommended.