Meniscal tears sustained awaiting anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

We reviewed 68 patients who underwent anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction after initial EUA & arthroscopy in the knee unit of a United Kingdom district general hospital. Mean time between injury and ACL reconstruction surgery was 23.3 months with the incidence of meniscal tear at reconstruction being 67.6%. In this series 10.3% of patients sustained a meniscal tear in the delay period between arthroscopy and reconstruction surgery. Meniscal tear is strongly associated with ACL rupture and also a poorer outcome following reconstruction surgery. The delay in diagnosis and wait for reconstruction surgery that patients experience are potentially worsening surgical outcomes in the anterior cruciate deficient knee. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.