Anterior cruciate ligament injuries in the skeletally immature patient

Abstract

Injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament in children and youth pose a complex clinical challenge. The literature does not provide the clinician with a well-defined natural history or pathoanatomy, nor does it show agreement as to the outcomes of various treatment choices. Decision making is made difficult by the patients' skeletal and emotional immaturity and by associated intra-articular fracture, physeal fracture, and combination injuries. In an effort to place the problem of ACL injury in children and youth into some perspective and to present an algorithm for management, this article reviews issues in its diagnosis, classification, anatomy, mechanism of injury, and management.