Introduction:

The tibial slope has been identified as one of the factors associated with graft failure after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction; however, its relationship with functional results has been little studied. The main purpose of this study is to determine the effect of the tibial slope on functional recovery in patients undergoing reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament.

Material and methods:

We included patients with a diagnosis of anterior cruciate ligament injury undergoing primary reconstruction, from May 2018 to May 2019, who had a complete radiographic and clinical record; also, the scores from questionnaires of the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) and Lysholm scores were collected pre surgical procedures and throughout the one-year follow-up. The measurement of the tibial slope was performed in lateral knee X-rays from the electronic clinical record. A descriptive analysis of first intention was done, and to achieve the objectives, we compared 25 patients who had normal tibial slope that were selected randomly with 25 patients who had increased tibial slope.

Results:

A total of 98 patients were included, 73 had a normal tibial slope (equal to or less than 12 degrees) and 25 with an increased tibial slope (greater than 12 degrees), the average age in both groups was 28.43 years for the group with normal tibial slope and 28.26 for patients with increased tibial slope. Regarding the functional assessment, the IKDC and Lysholm scores at the end of the follow-up were better for patients with normal tibial slope. Graft failure was only identified in the group with increased tibial slope. On the other hand, the comparative analysis with the control group randomly selected who had normal tibial slope, showed a better functional result assessed by IKDC score at the end of the follow-up for the group with normal tibial slope.

Conclusion:

Patients undergoing ACL reconstruction and increased Tibial Slope have an inferior functional result at one year of follow-up assessed by IKDC, when compared with patients with normal tibial slope.