Incidence of meniscal tears and cartilage lesions at the time of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in Region Örebro County – a retrospective cohort study

Abstract: Introduction: The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is a supporting ligament in the knee. ACL injuries are associated with concomitant meniscal tears and cartilage lesions. Aim: Our aim was to study the incidence of meniscal tears and cartilage lesions in patients with ACL injury and how it varies with time from injury to surgery Methods: This was a cohort study using the Swedish Knee Ligament Registry. We reviewed 479 patients who had ACL reconstruction in Region Örebro County between 2005-01-01 and 2019-03-19. Results: The incidence of meniscal tears was 33 %, cartilage lesions 18 %, both meniscal tears and cartilage lesions 29 %. The incidence of meniscal tears distributed over time from injury to surgery was 8 % for 0-3 months., 38 % for 4-12 months, 53 % for > 12 months. The incidence of cartilage lesions was 8 % for 0-3 months, 45 % for 4-12 months, 47 % for > 12 months. The incidence of both meniscal tears and cartilage lesions was 4 % for 0-3 months, 34 % for 4-12 months, 62 % for > 12 months Conclusions: Patients treated with ACL reconstruction had an increased rate of concomitant damage to menisci and articular cartilage with increased time from injury to surgery, suggesting a benefit of early reconstructive interventions following an ACL injury. Male patients displayed a higher incidence in cartilage lesions than did female. Young age was associated with a higher incidence of meniscal tears, whereas an increasing of age was associated with an increased incidence of cartilage lesions.