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From 1973 to 1987, 28 patients seen at our institution sustained isolated posterior cruciate ligament tears. Of these 28 patients, 25 were reevaluated at an average followup of 7 years and 1 month after secondary reconstruction of the posterior cruciate ligament using the semitendinosus and gracilis tendons alone or with an extraarticular procedure. Subjectively, 22 of 25 patients related no restrictions regarding activities of daily living, with 14 of 25 patients being able to return to their previous competitive level in sports. Objective evaluation after reconstruction revealed no change in the preoperative and postoperative posterior drawer examination in 13 of 25 patients, a finding confirmed by KT-1000 arthrometer measurements. Radiographic evaluation revealed degenerative changes predominantly involving the medial and patellofemoral compartments in 15 of 25 patients. Despite optimistic subjective reporting, this long-term retrospective study reveals that this procedure inconsistently limits posterior instability and therefore cannot be recommended.

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Expert opinion regarding experience with the management and complications of pediatric anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries was studied by surveying members of The Herodicus Society and The ACL Study Group. There was large practice variation in initial management and ACL reconstruction technique. There were 15 reported cases of growth disturbance: 8 cases of distal femoral valgus deformity with arrest of the lateral distal femoral physis, 3 cases of tibial recurvatum with arrest of the tibial tubercle apophysis, 2 cases of genu valgum without arrest, and 2 cases of leg length discrepancy. Associated factors included fixation hardware across the lateral distal femoral physis in 3 cases, bone plugs of a patellar tendon graft across the distal femoral physis in 3 cases, large (12 mm) tunnels in 2 cases, fixation hardware across the tibial tubercle apophysis in 3 cases, lateral extra-articular tenodesis in 2 cases, and over-the-top femoral position in 1 case. Based on this experience, we recommend a guarded approach to ACL reconstruction in the skeletally immature patient with careful attention to technique and follow-up.