Clinical and neurophysiological abnormalities before and after reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament of the knee

Objectives - We aimed to study knee proprioception and somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) to stimulation of the common peroneal nerve (CPN) in 7 patients with lesion of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) before and after ACL reconstruction. Materials and methods - We recorded the spinal N14 and scalp P27 potentials in 5 patients, while in the remaining 2 patients we calculated scalp SEP maps by 20 electrodes. The knee proprioception was tested by comparing the sensitivity to movement of both the knees. Results - Before surgery, all patients showed decreased knee position sense and lack of the cortical P27 potential on the side of the ACL lesion. Arthroscopic reconstruction of the ligament improved neither the knee proprioception nor the somatosensory central conduction. Conclusion - We suggest that the loss of the knee mechanoreceptors can be followed by modifications of the central nervous system, which are not compensated by other nervous structures.