Rehabilitation after one-stage anterior cruciate reconstruction and osteochondral grafting

At least 10–20% of all ACL reconstructions require additional cartilage repair. The aim of this study was to compare the activity recovered by patients after one-stage open ACL reconstruction and osteochondral autologous grafting of articular cartilage lesions and after isolated open ACL reconstruction. The study group included 21 patients with chronic ACL deficiency and grade III or IV cartilage lesion according to the ICRS scale who were treated with combined ACL reconstruction and osteochondral grafting in one step. The control group included 32 patients with chronic ACL insufficiency and no chondral deficit higher than grade I on the ICRS scale who underwent isolated reconstruction of the ligament. For the assessment, the Lysholm and Gillquist (L&G) score and the functional Marshall score were used. Both groups displayed a statistically significant improvement in the L&G score and the Marshall score between the preoperative and 12-month assessments. The mean gain in L&G score over this period was 30.66±7.79 in the study group and 31.65±6.96 in the control group. The difference between the control group and the study group was not significant. The difference between 12 months and initial assessment was counted. The mean gain in Marshall score was 9.05±3.81 in the study group and 10.71±3.43 in the control group. The difference between the initial and the 12-month evaluation was statistically significant (p=0.49). Return to normal activity was slower and patient satisfaction was lower during the first year after operation in the study group than in the control group, however the overall advantage of the one-step operation outweighs the slightly inferior functional results at 12 months.