Background: Ligament augmentation devices have been used in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction since the suggestion of Kennedy et al. in 1980 that such devices would allow grafts to heal faster and more safely.
Hypothesis: Patients who had augmentation will have better outcomes after 8 years.
Study design: Prospective randomized case control study.
Methods: Between 1991 and 1993, 100 patients were randomized to groups undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with bone-patellar tendon-bone grafts with (49) or without (51) use of a Kennedy ligament augmentation device. Of these 100 patients, 94 were examined at an average of 8 years after surgery. Fifteen patients were excluded because of rupture in the other knee and 11 because of rerupture in the same knee.
Results: Of the remaining 68 patients, the mean Lysholm function score was 84 in the augmentation group and 87 in the control group. There was a statistically significant relationship between preoperatively detected cartilage injury and osteoarthritis. Almost half of the patients had developed osteoarthritis. We observed no significant difference between the two groups concerning rerupture rate, Lysholm or Lachman test scores, or KT-1000 arthrometer measurements.
Conclusions: We found no positive long-term effects supporting the use of augmentation in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.