Women Under Age 25 at Greater Risk for ACL Re-Tear

After anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction, women younger than age 25 with a graft size of <8 mm have an increased change of re-tearing their ACL, according to the results of a study presented at the 2016 annual meeting of the American Orthopedic Society of Sports Medicine.

Researchers studied 503 athletes (235 women and 268 men; average age 27) undergoing primary, autograft hamstring ACL reconstruction. The surgeries were all performed at a single center by a single surgeon between September through December 2012. Patients were followed for 2 years. Overall, the rate of re-tears was 6% and the mean graft size was 7.9 mm.

Graft size <8 mm and age < 25 years were significantly predictive of re‐tear. Female sex was correlated with re‐tear but was not significant.