Prospectively, 119 patients were pursued clinically and by follow-up-arthroscopy for the occurrence of a "cyclops syndrome" after ACL reconstruction with a patellar tendon autograft, augmented by LAD. Twenty-one patients showed nodular formations. Ten of these (group 1) developed early clinical evidence of a "cyclops syndrome" with a mean extension deficit of 19 degrees before follow-up-arthroscopy, on average 5.9 months after the index operation. The nodular formations found and excised during débridement had a hard consistency. Histomorphological undecalcified microtome section evaluation of six specimens revealed fibrocartilagineous tissue with active bone formation in the center. The other 11 patients showed no clinical symptoms (group 2). A similar but soft nodulous scar formation was detected at follow-up-arthroscopy, on average 9.5 months after the index operation. Histomorphologically these so-called "cyclopoid" formations were only built-up fibrocartilagineous islands surrounded by granulation tissue. Neither remnants of tendon graft fibers nor old bone particles were found in specimens of either group. It can be concluded that both the hard cyclops and the soft "cyclopoid" are de novo scar formations.

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Forty patients were prospectively investigated to evaluate the effects of bandaging after reconstructive surgery of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). For the 6 weeks of the postoperative course, the operated knee was bandaged in 20 patients (group A) and braced in the other 20 patients (group B). The isokinetic torque for extension and flexion (Cybex) and the range of motion (ROM) were investigated after 6, 12, 24 and 52 weeks postoperatively. At 24 weeks and 1 year postoperatively the stability of the knee joint (KT-1000) as well as the clinical outcome ('Orthopädische Arbeitsgemeinschaft Knie') were evaluated. No statistically significant differences between the two groups were found for the extension and flexion strengths. Free ROM was achieved significantly earlier in group A than in group B. No statistically significant differences regarding the stability of the operated knee joint nor the early outcome were found between the two groups. This study demonstrated that the renunciation of using a brace had no adverse effect on the early outcome with respect to stability and function. On the contrary, bracing seems not to be mandatory after ACL reconstruction when the central third of the patellar tendon is used.

Long-term clinical results and short-term arthroscopic and microscopic findings from two augmented reconstruction procedures for the ruptured anterior cruciate ligament are reported. The braided polypropylene ligament augmentation device (Kennedy model) was used with temporary double-end fixation in 279 patients to augment the attachment of the anterior cruciate ligament after acute proximal rupture and in 315 patients to augment a bone-tendon-bone autograft, mainly after chronic instability. Check arthroscopy was performed and the metal fixation hardware was removed after a mean of 11 months. Of the 569 patients evaluated, 101 partial or total breakages of the ligament augmentation device were found. Together with nine breakages detected late in the follow-up period, 110 (19.3%) failures were found. Most of these failures were accompanied by effusion that was immediately alleviated when the failed device was removed. No generalized synovitis was visible. Scanning electron microscopic analysis of 24 retrieved failed ligament augmentation devices showed fatigue to be the principal failure mode, together with local abrasion at the fracture. Synovial biopsies were taken during arthroscopy in 84 patients with and without ligament augmentation device-failure who had given informed consent, and histological evaluation revealed that in 21 patients, chronic but no acute synovial inflammation was found, and wear particles could be identified in foreign body cells in 17. Statistically, the presence of chronic synovitis was predicted neither by wear particles and foreign body cells nor by abrasion or fatigue failure of the ligament augmentation device. Irrespective of the failures, for which ligament augmentation device removal is recommended, in the final Orthopaedische Arbeitsgemeinschaft Knie evaluation (after a mean of 6.2 years), excellent and good clinical results were found in 83.6% of all 594 patients.