Introduction:

Rotational instability of the knee remains an issue after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction, the anterolateral ligament (ALL) has recently been shown to act as a lateral knee stabilizer that helps improve stability.

Objective:

To compare the outcomes of combined ACL and ALL reconstruction with those just ACL reconstruction knees.

Material and methods:

This was a retrospective, study of 102 patients with ACL tears. Those in group A (50) underwent combined ACL and ALL reconstruction, while those in group B (52) underwent ACL alone. Physical examination findings, laxity tested and International Knee Documentation Committee Scale (IKDC) scores were used to evaluate the outcomes.

Results:

102 patients were available: 50 in group A and 52 in group B. The median instrumented knee laxity was 1.40 ± 0.782 mm in patients in group A and 2.50 ± 1.66 mm in group B (p < 0.000). Additionally, the median of IKDC scores was 90.98 ± 3.58 in group A and 88.67 ± 1.26 in group B (p < 0.000).

Conclusion:

Combined ACL and ALL reconstruction, compared with isolated ACL resulted in favorable clinical and functional outcomes.