The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about development issues. An objective of the series is to get the findings out quickly, even if the presentations are less than fully polished. The papers carry the names of the authors and should be cited accordingly. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/World Bank and its affiliated organizations, or those of the Executive Directors of the World Bank or the governments they represent.

No abstract

The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about development issues. An objective of the series is to get the findings out quickly, even if the presentations are less than fully polished. The papers carry the names of the authors and should be cited accordingly. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/World Bank and its affiliated organizations, or those of the Executive Directors of the World Bank or the governments they represent.

No abstract

The aim of this paper was to examine all studies that compared operative and conservative treatment of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture. Covering a period of 22 years all relevant articles were retrieved from the medical databases Medline, Embase, and Cochrane. The results of these studies were judged on to the criteria of subjective stability (giving-way phenomenon), objective stability (pivot shift test), and return to the preinjury level of sports. There were 11 different studies published in 16 articles consisting of 2 randomized,2 prospective, and 7 retrospective trials. Except in one study the results in the operative groups were always better than in the conservative groups. The meta-analysis of both randomized studies showed significant advantages for the operative treatment. Although arthroscopic ligament plasty is an established standard method for the treatment of ACL rupture, there is almost no basis for this procedure in the literature.Thus,new clinically applicable studies are necessary to develop objective guidelines for the treatment of anterior cruciate ligament tears.