PURPOSE To study the effect of age, duration of injury, type of graft and concomitant knee injuries on return to sports after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. METHOD One-hundred and sixteen athletes underwent ACL reconstruction using either bone-patellar tendon-bone graft (BPTB; n = 58) or semitendinosus-gracilis graft (n = 58), depending upon their random number sequences. Five variables were analyzed in terms of their effect on return to sports-age, type of graft, time interval between injury and surgery, chondral damage and meniscal tears. RESULTS Fifty-three out of 73 (72.6%) athletes aged between 16 and 25 years and 21/43 (49%) athletes aged between 25 and 40 years returned to sports (p = 0.02). The mean time to return to sports was 9.7 ± 2.1 months and 10.8 ± 1.7 months in athletes aged < 25 years and 25-40 years, respectively (p = 0.04). ACL reconstruction with BPTB graft (43/58) was associated with higher rate of return to sports as compared to hamstring tendon graft (31/58; p = 0.02). The mean duration of return to sports with BPTB and STGPI graft was 9.7 ± 2.0 months and 10.7 ± 2.0 months, respectively (p = 0.02). 29/36 (80.5%) patients operated between 2 and 6 months, 18/29 (62%) operated in < 2 months, and 27/51 (53%) operated after 6 months of injury had returned to sports (p = 0.03). Athletes who were operated within 2 months of the injury were the earliest to return to sports (9.4 ± 2.1 months), followed by those operated within 2-6 months (9.9 ± 1.9 months) and lastly by the ones operated after 6 months of the injury (10.9 ± 2.1 months; p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS The rate of return to sports was observed to be higher in athletes younger than 25 years as compared to older athletes (> 25 years). ACL reconstruction with BPTB graft was associated with higher and earlier returns to sports as compared to hamstring graft. The rate of return to sports was highest if surgery was performed between 2 and 6 months after the injury. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE III.

中文翻译：

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与绳肌腱移植相比，使用bone骨肌腱-骨移植重建前交叉韧带与运动的恢复更高且更早。

目的研究前交叉韧带（ACL）重建后年龄，损伤持续时间，移植物类型和伴随的膝关节损伤对恢复运动的影响。方法一百一十六名运动员根据其随机编号顺序，使用bone骨肌腱-骨移植物（BPTB； n = 58）或半腱肌-斜纹肌腱移植物（n = 58）进行了ACL重建。根据其对恢复运动年龄的影响，移植物的类型，损伤与手术之间的时间间隔，软骨损伤和半月板撕裂，分析了五个变量。结果73名年龄在16至25岁之间的运动员中有53名（72.6％）和25/40岁之间的21/43（49％）运动员恢复了运动（p = 0.02）。<25岁和25-40岁的运动员平均重返运动时间为9.7±2.1个月和10.8±1.7个月，分别为（p = 0.04）。与绳肌腱移植相比（31/58； p = 0.02），用BPTB移植重建ACL（43/58）与更高的运动恢复率相关。BPTB和STGPI移植物的平均运动恢复时间分别为9.7±2.0个月和10.7±2.0个月（p = 0.02）。29/36（80.5％）的患者在2个月至6个月内进行了手术，18/29（62％）的患者在2个月内进行了手术，而27/51（53％）的患者在受伤6个月后又恢复了运动（p = 0.03 ）。在受伤2个月内进行手术的运动员最早恢复运动（9.4±2.1个月），其次是在2-6个月内（9.9±1.9个月）进行运动的运动员，最后一次在运动6个月后进行的运动。伤害（10.9±2.1个月； p = 0.04）。结论观察发现，年龄小于25岁的运动员比年龄较大的运动员（大于25岁）的运动恢复率更高。与绳肌移植相比，用BPTB移植重建ACL与更高和更早的运动回报相关。如果在受伤后2到6个月内进行手术，则恢复运动的比率最高。证据级别III。