Tears of the anterior cruciate ligament in adolescents.

Tears of the anterior cruciate ligament in adolescents are rare. From 1977 to 1983 we did a surgical reconstruction of that ligament, using the semitendinosus and gracilis tendons, in twenty-four athletes who were twelve to fifteen years old. We routinely supplemented that procedure with the Ellison or Losee extra-articular reconstruction. The length of follow-up averaged thirty-five months. There were sixteen excellent, seven good, and one fair-plus result. Only one patient showed a significant growth abnormality. Use of the semitendinosus and gracilis tendons did not significantly decrease the strength of flexion or internal rotation as measured by the Cybex-II dynamometer.