P-ACL Outcome Study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Long term outcomes of paediatric ACL reconstruction- A single centre retrospective review
IRAS ID
235990
Contact name
Nicolas Nicolaou
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Sheffield Children's Hospital
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 2 months, 3 days
Research summary
The incidence of Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury in the paediatric population continues to increase at an almost exponential rate. This sporting injury is associated with knee instability that prevents further participation in activity, but more significantly predisposes to damage to the cartilage of the knee leading to arthritis and pain.
As a result, ACL injuries are treated surgically by reconstruction, where a graft, normally of the hamstring tendons, is used to re-create a new ligament. Injuries in children are associated with significantly higher failure rates than in adults, and also risks such as growth disturbance. Data from registries based in Scandinavia where it is compulsory to collect outcome data identifies a 25% rate of further ACL injury in children, significantly higher than in adults. There are also many controversies regarding rehabilitation, timing of surgery and method of reconstruction.
Unfortunately, data collection for ACL injuries is only collected by a voluntary registry to which most surgeons do not contribute, especially for paediatric cases, where there would be concerns from the operating surgeon about having high failure rates. In addition, we as a Nation have a scarcity of case series specifically for ACL reconstruction in Children.
It is therefore important to ensure that outcomes are comparable to other Countries and registry data in view of the woeful lack of outcome data for this high risk group. Most paediatric ACL reconstructions will be performed in Children’s Hospitals, where due to NHS guidelines on transition, patients are discharged at 18.The aim of this study is to identify re-ruptures, re-operations and functional outcomes in patients who have had surgical treatment at Sheffield Children’s.
REC name
West Midlands - Black Country Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/WM/0041
Date of REC Opinion
28 Feb 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion