Razi Journal of Medical Sciences

Background: Injuries to ACL can be seen with meniscus tear, chondral lesions, and other ligament injuries. This study assesses the epidemiology of ACL injury and concomitant injuries in an athletic population.
Methods: From January 2001 to December 2011, athletes with ACL injuries were enrolled in this study. Ultimately, 227 patients, 220 males (96.92%) and 7 females (3.08%), were studied.
Results: Median interval from accident to surgery was 18 months, and the mean of this interval was 21.85 months. Mean age of patients was 25.6 years. 75% of patients had some type of meniscus injury (medial meniscus injury in 52.15%). The most common site of meniscus injury was posterior horn in both medial and lateral meniscus. Chondral lesions were seen in 13.4% of patients, and the highest risk was 4 years after injury. Most chondral lesions (65.5%) occurred in the medial compartment. The ligament most commonly injured in association with an ACL injury was the medial collateral ligament (6.9%). Noncontact sports, especially soccer, were the most common cause of ACL injury (50%).
Conclusion: In this study, we concluded that concomitant injuries with ACL tear will increase with time. Further studies are needed to evaluate the role of early operation (ACL reconstruction) to decrease concomitant injuries.