[Results of surgical treatment of recent capsular ligament lesions of the knee joint (author's transl)].

During the period from 1971 to spring 1981, 85 patients with recent ruptures of the knee ligament were operated at the Hospital of Accident Surgery of Giessen. After 38.3 months on an average, 55 patients could be submitted to a follow-up examination. This examination comprised subjective troubles, clinical and X-ray examination of the injured knee joints. Above all, the full loading capacity of the operated extremity with a good mobility of the joint was evaluated. A good result was achieved in more than half of all cases. Only five patients showed an unsatisfactory results. A good result can only be achieved by an exact reconstruction of all injured structures carried out during the first few days following the accident. A later treatment of capsular ligament lesions will bring worse results.