Suture tape augmentation ACL repair, stable knee, and favorable PROMs, but a re-rupture rate of 11% within 2 years

Purpose The aim of this study is to investigate clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) outcomes after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) repair using the suture tape augmentation (STA) technique. Methods This prospective interventional case series included 35 patients who underwent STA ACL repair and were all followed up for 2 years. The ACL rupture was between 4 and 12 weeks old and per-operatively confirmed repairable. The International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC), and Lysholm and Tegner scores were collected together with return to work (RTW), return to sport (RTS), re-rupture, and re-intervention rate. Lachman testing was performed and ACL healing was evaluated on MRI using a grading scale based on the ACL’s morphology and signal intensity with grade 1 representing good ACL healing and grade 3 representing poor ACL healing. Results The number of patients who returned to their pre-rupture level for IKDC, Lysholm, and Tegner scores at 2 years of follow-up are 17/26 (65.4%), 13/25 (52.0%), and 18/27 (66.7%) patients, respectively. Median RTW and RTS periods were 5.5 weeks (range 0–32 weeks) and 6 months (range 2–22 months), respectively. The Lachman side-to-side difference decreased significantly ( P