Abstract

We conducted this clinical study in order to compare the quality of graft fixation with a bioabsorbable screw, as compared to a metal screw, in the anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. A number of 124 patients were submitted to the surgical intervention and 113 out of them were kept under medical survey up to 1 year after the surgery. This included: anamnesis, physical examination, IKDC evaluation and the knee arthrometric measurements. 1 year later, there was no significant difference between the two groups, from the IKDC evaluation point of view. The final IKDC evaluation was normal or almost normal in 92% out of the patients in the group with absorbable screws and in 90% out of the patients making part of the control group. The incidence of postsurgery complications was similar in both of the groups. The study shows that the absorbable screw is an efficient alternative to the fixation with a metal screw in the anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.