Tears of the anterior cruciate ligament in adolescents are rare. From
1977 to 1983 we did a surgical reconstruction of that ligament, using the
semitendinosus and gracilis tendons, in twenty-four athletes who were
twelve to fifteen years old. We routinely supplemented that procedure with
the Ellison or Losee extra-articular reconstruction. The length of
follow-up averaged thirty-five months. There were sixteen excellent, seven
good, and one fair-plus result. Only one patient showed a significant
growth abnormality. Use of the semitendinosus and gracilis tendons did not
significantly decrease the strength of flexion or internal rotation as
measured by the Cybex-II dynamometer.