A study published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine examines trends in anterior cruciate ligament surgery in the United States.
The researchers examined data from the National Hospital Discharge Survey and National Survey of Ambulatory Surgery for ACL tears. The researchers found:
1. ACL reconstruction increased from 86,687 procedures in 1994 to 129,863 procedures in 2006.
2. In 1994, the ACL reconstruction rate was 23.9 per 100,000 person-years; in 2006 that grew to 43.5 per 100,000 person-years.
3. Among patients younger than 20 years old and those older than 40, ACL reconstructions increased during the study period.
4. ACL reconstruction increased from 10.36 per 100,000 person-years in 1996 to 18.06 per 100,000 person-years in 2006 among females.
5. There was slower growth in the ACL reconstruction rate among men; the data showed ACL reconstruction incidence at 2.58 per 100,000 person-years in 1994 and 25.42 per 100,000 person-years in 2006.
6. Around 95 percent of the ACL reconstructions were performed in the outpatient setting in 2006; the rate was 43 percent in 1994.
7. The most common concomitant procedures were partial meniscectomy and chondroplasty.
8. Targeting prevention and outcomes measures among the groups most at-risk could help research efforts and cost-saving measures, concluded the study authors.