Younger age, longer delay to surgery and meniscal tears are associated with a smaller ACL remnant: An analysis from the registry of the Francophone Arthroscopic Society

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate which preoperative patient, injury or clinical factors were associated with the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) remnant volume in patients undergoing ACL surgery. It was hypothesized that the main factors determining an insufficient ACL remnant volume at the time of surgery were younger age and longer time to surgery.

Methods: A retrospective analysis from the Francophone Arthroscopic Society's registry was conducted, including 1565 patients with an ACL lesion underdoing a primary ACL surgery (reconstruction or repair) between June 2020 and June 2023. Patients were excluded in case of revision surgery and incomplete data. Preoperative factors-including patient demographics, delay to surgery, preoperative laxity and the presence of meniscal tears or cartilage lesions-were analysed to determine their influence on ACL remnant volume (estimated by the surgeon as the percentage of residual volume). Univariate, multivariate and receiver operating characteristic curve analyses were performed to explore these relationships.

Results: Multivariate analyses demonstrated that younger age (<20 years and 20-30 years compared to ≥40, p = 0.02), higher time from injury to surgery (≥12 months compared to <3 months, p = 0.01) and the presence of a medial (p = 0.01) or a lateral meniscal tear (p = 0.02) were significant predictors of an ACL remnant volume ≤ 50%.

Conclusions: Younger age (under 30 years of age), a time from injury to surgery above 12 months and the presence of medial and lateral meniscal tears are associated with higher odds of observing a smaller ACL remnant volume at the time of the ACL surgery. These factors should be considered when planning ACL remnant preservation techniques.

Level of evidence: Level III.