Female gender and medial meniscal lesions are associated with increased pain and symptoms following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in patients aged over 50 years

Purpose Several studies report satisfactory clinical outcomes following ACLR in older patients, but none evaluated the effects of meniscal and cartilage lesions. The aim was to evaluate the influence of meniscal and cartilage lesions on outcomes of ACLR in patients aged over 50 years. Methods The authors prospectively collected records of 228 patients that underwent primary ACLR, including demographics, time from injury to surgery, whether injuries were work related, and sports level (competitive, recreational, or none). At a minimum follow-up of 6 months, knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome scores (KOOS), International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score and Tegner activity level were recorded, and differential laxity was measured as the side-to-side difference in anterior tibial translation (ATT) using instrumented laximetry devices. Regression analyses were performed to determine associations between outcomes and meniscal and cartilage lesions as well as nine independent variables. Results A total of 228 patients aged 54.8 ± 4.3 years at index ACLR were assessed at a follow-up of 14.3 ± 3.8 months. KOOS subcomponents were 85 ± 13 for symptoms, 91 ± 10 for pain, 75 ± 18 for daily activities, 76 ± 18 for sport, and 88 ± 12 for quality of life (QoL). The IKDC score was A for 84 (37%) knees, B for 96 (42%) knees, C for 29 (13%) knees, and D for 8 (4%) knees. Tegner scores showed a decrease (median 0, range −4 to 4) and differential laxity also decreased (median − 4, range − 23.5 to 6.0). KOOS symptoms worsened with higher BMI ( p = 0.038), for women ( p = 0.007) and for knees that had medial meniscectomy ( p = 0.029). KOOS pain worsened with higher BMI ( p ≤ 0.001), for women ( p = 0.002) and for knees with untreated ( p = 0.047) or sutured ( p = 0.041) medial meniscal lesions. Differential laxity increased with follow-up ( p = 0.024) and in knees with lateral cartilage lesions ( p = 0.031). Conclusion In primary ACLR for patients aged over 50 years, female gender and medial meniscal lesions significantly compromised KOOS symptoms and pain, while lateral cartilage lesions significantly increased differential laxity. Compared to knees with an intact medial meniscus, those with sutured or untreated medial meniscal lesions had worse pain, while those in which the medial meniscus was resected had worse symptoms. These findings are clinically relevant as they could help surgeons with patient selection and adjusting expectations according to their functional demands. Level of evidence III.