Isolated posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Long-term results.

From 1973 to 1987, 28 patients seen at our institution sustained isolated posterior cruciate ligament tears. Of these 28 patients, 25 were reevaluated at an average followup of 7 years and 1 month after secondary reconstruction of the posterior cruciate ligament using the semitendinosus and gracilis tendons alone or with an extraarticular procedure. Subjectively, 22 of 25 patients related no restrictions regarding activities of daily living, with 14 of 25 patients being able to return to their previous competitive level in sports. Objective evaluation after reconstruction revealed no change in the preoperative and postoperative posterior drawer examination in 13 of 25 patients, a finding confirmed by KT-1000 arthrometer measurements. Radiographic evaluation revealed degenerative changes predominantly involving the medial and patellofemoral compartments in 15 of 25 patients. Despite optimistic subjective reporting, this long-term retrospective study reveals that this procedure inconsistently limits posterior instability and therefore cannot be recommended.