Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tears: The Impact of Increased Time From Injury to Surgery on Intra-articular Lesions

Background: Previous research has shown that meniscal and articular cartilage lesions increase with time in the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)–deficient knee. Purpose: To analyze the association between increased time from ACL injury to reconstruction and the presence of intra-articular lesions. Design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed for patients who sustained an ACL injury and underwent reconstruction from January 1, 2009, to May 14, 2015. Factors analyzed included age, sex, and body mass index, as well as time from injury to surgery, the presence of meniscal tears, and the presence of cartilage lesions. The data were evaluated to quantify the association between time from ACL injury to reconstruction and presence of intra-articular lesions. Results: Overall, 405 patients were included in this study. Regarding time from injury, 27.3% patients were treated at