Who should have an ACL reconstruction?
The indications for undergoing an ACL reconstruction are
Recurrent symptoms of ACL instability following an ACL rupture
A high likelihood of developing ACL instability due to a combination
Age
Activity level
Activity type
A knee that has an ACL rupture and a meniscal tear where the meniscus is to be treated by surgical repair as the success of surgical repairs are higher
Is the surgery a reconstruction or a repair?
Repair involves keeping the original ligament by directly suturing the two ends of the rupture together. Attempts at repair of ACL tears are now largely historical due to the high rate of failure of the surgery.
All ACL surgery nowadays is a reconstruction. This involves replacing the damaged tissue with a substitute tissue called a graft. The most commonly used grafts involve use of tissue from the patient (autografts). Tissue from donor patients (allografts) can also be used, as can synthetic ligaments.
