Association Between Posterior Tibial Slope and Clinical Outcomes After Isolated Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstructions

BackgroundIncreased posterior tibial slope (PTS) is an important risk factor for non-traumatic graft failure and revision surgery after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. If a tibial posterior slope is an important factor for graft failure after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, does it affect clinical outcomes? This study aimed to evaluate the association between PTS and clinical outcomes after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.Material and methodsPatients undergoing arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with hamstring tendons in the clinic were evaluated retrospectively. Inclusion criteria were: patients with at least an 18-month follow-up period who were evaluated with the Tegner Lysholm scoring system, aged between 18 and 40 years, with only an anterior cruciate ligament rupture. PTSs were measured from the lateral radiographs of the knees. The patients were divided into two groups with a PTS of 10° or less.ResultsThe mean Tegner Lysholm score was 86.8 ± 8.9. The mean PTS was 9.7° ± 1.5°. In total, 14 and 15 patients had a PTS of above 10° and below 10°, respectively. The mean age and follow-up time of patients were 28.5 ± 5.3 years and 24.6 ± 7.2 months in the group with a PTS of above 10° and 30.2 ± 5.3 years and 24.2 ± 5.18 months in the group with a PTS of below 10°, respectively. Tegner Lysholm scores were 88.2 ± 8.8 and 85.6 ± 9.1 in the group with values above 10° and below 10°, respectively. Statistically, there was no significant difference between the clinical outcomes of both groups.ConclusionPTS does not affect the clinical outcomes of patients who underwent arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in the early period.