Simultaneous bilateral anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

Background: There are no reports on the outcome of bilateral simultaneous anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Hypothesis: There is no difference in outcome between unilateral and simultaneous bilateral operations. Study Design: Case control study. Methods: We compared the short-term outcome (mean, 37.2 months) of 28 patients who had bilateral simultaneous reconstructions with that of a matched group of patients who had unilateral reconstruction. Results: Postoperative narcotic requirements for pain did not differ between groups. The mean quadriceps muscle strength for the simultaneous group was 99% in the right leg and 102% in the left leg compared with the strongest leg preoperatively; the mean for the unilateral group was 99%. The mean modified Noyes score for the simultaneous group was 91.2 points in the left knee and 93.5 points for the right knee; the mean for the unilateral group was 88.7 points. The mean time to return to full-time work and to full sports was 4.1 weeks and 6.1 months for the simultaneous group and 3.0 weeks and 6.3 months for the unilateral group. The mean hospital costs were $6687 and $4307, respectively. Conclusions: When clinical indications exist, we recommend simultaneous bilateral anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction as opposed to staged procedures because it is a safe, effective, and cost-effective option. (C) 2002 American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine.