Review IDs Trends in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury Treatments in Children

FRIDAY, March 15, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Lateral extra-articular tenodesis (LET) and anterolateral ligament reconstruction (ALLR) techniques for the treatment of anterior cruciate ligament in skeletally immature patients show promising results, according to a review published online March 6 in the Journal of Experimental Orthopaedics.

Martijn Dietvorst, M.D., Ph.D., from Maxima Medical Centre in Eindhoven, Netherlands, and colleagues conducted a scoping review to provide an overview of all current anterolateral augmentation procedures in skeletally immature patients and to examine surgical techniques and clinical and biomechanical outcomes.

The researchers identified 20 eligible studies, of which 17 described LET techniques, four described ALLR techniques, and one detailed both techniques. Biomechanical data were limited and showed conflicting results. Two studies compared ACL reconstruction with LET to isolated ACL reconstruction in skeletally immature children, with results favoring the combined procedure. LET and ALLR had similar outcomes.

“We found many different surgical techniques of anterolateral augmentation in this population with promising results. Future studies must evaluate the effectiveness and safety of these procedures regarding re-injuries, growth disturbances, and overconstraint,” Dietvorst said in a statement. “We believe that this review will give a complete overview of current techniques and considerations.”

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