Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32040677›Full record

ArticleKnee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA2020

Paediatric proximal ACL tears managed with direct ACL repair is safe, effective and has excellent short-term outcomes.

John Dabis, Sam K Yasen, Aaron J Foster, James Lee Pace, Adrian J Wilson

Erratum issuedAbstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 21 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
21citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

21 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Application of internal brace ligament augmentation technique in knee ligament injury: a systematic review.Journal of orthopaedics and traumatology : official journal of the Italian Society of Orthopaedics and Traumatology · 2025
    Pooled it
  3. Trends and hotspots in epiphyseal injury studies over 2 decades: A bibliometric analysis.Chinese journal of traumatology = Zhonghua chuang shang za zhi · 2026
    Review
  4. Pediatric ACL Injuries: A Current Concepts Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026
    Review
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  17. Suture tape augmentation improves laxity of MCL repair in the ACL reconstructed knee.Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA · 2021
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

John DabisBasingstoke Knee Unit, Department of Trauma and Orthopaedics, Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, Aldermaston Road, Basingstoke, UK. johndabis1@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1283-9669
Sam K YasenBasingstoke Knee Unit, Department of Trauma and Orthopaedics, Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, Aldermaston Road, Basingstoke, UK.
Aaron J FosterBasingstoke Knee Unit, Department of Trauma and Orthopaedics, Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, Aldermaston Road, Basingstoke, UK.
James Lee PaceElite Sports Medicine, Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Farmington, Connecticut, USA.
Adrian J WilsonQueen Anne Street Medical Centre, 18-22 Queen Anne Street, London, W1G 8HU, UK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeAnterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery in the paediatric population has long been a challenge. Non-operative treatment will result in persistent instability which can lead to chondral and meniscal injuries. The results of primary open ACL repair are poor. Concerns of growth plate disturbance with transphyseal techniques and issues with relatively small-diameter grafts in Tanner 1 and 2 patients, which are inadequate, have contributed to these challenges. With advancing instrumentation, there is renewed interest in ACL repair. The minimally invasive approach of arthroscopic primary ACL repair retains the native ligament. The objective and subjective outcomes at 2 years are presented.

methodsPaediatric patients, less than 16 years of age, presenting acutely with complete proximal ACL ruptures underwent direct arthroscopic ACL repair, reinforced by a temporary internal brace, which was subsequently removed after 3 months. Patient-reported outcome measures including the Lysholm, Tegner and KOOS scores were collected at 6 months, 1 year and 2 years post-operatively.

resultsTwenty patients (age 6-16) completed data at 2 years post-operatively. There were no failures, no complications and no growth disturbance out to 2 years. The 2-year postoperative outcomes; Lysholm 95 (90-100), Tegner 7 (6-10), KOOS-Child 96.5 (88.9-100) demonstrated statistically significant improvements following surgery (p < 0.001). Objective measurements with an accelerometer did not demonstrate any significant side-to-side difference.

conclusionACL repair for proximal ACL tears in the paediatric population demonstrates the potential for excellent outcomes at short-term follow-up. This presents an attractive alternative to ACL reconstruction when an adequate ACL remnant permits direct repair. Our results demonstrate that paediatric ACL repair is safe and effective.

Indexed as

AdolescentAnterior Cruciate LigamentAnterior Cruciate Ligament InjuriesAnterior Cruciate Ligament ReconstructionArthroscopyChildChild, PreschoolFemaleFollow-Up StudiesGrowth PlateHumansInternal FixatorsMalePatient Reported Outcome MeasuresPostoperative ComplicationsRetrospective StudiesACLOutcomePaediatricRepair

Identifiers

PMID32040677

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.