Accuracy of Lachman and Anterior Drawer Tests for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries

Background: The knee joint is prone to injury because of its complexity and weight-bearing function. Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures happen in young and physically active population and can result in instability, meniscal tears, and articular cartilage damage. The aim of this study is to evaluate the accuracy of Lachman and anterior drawer test in ACL injury in compare with arthroscopy.   Methods: In a descriptive, analytical study from 2009 to 2013, 653 patients who were suspected to ACL rapture were entered the study. Statistical analysis was performed by the usage of SPSS 19.0. Multiple comparison procedure was performed for comparing data between clinical examination and arthroscopic findings and their relation with age and sex. Results: Mean age of patients was 28.3±7.58 years (range from 16 to 68 years). From 428 patients, 41.2% (175 patients) were between 26 and 35, 38.8% (165 ones) between 15 and 25 and 20% (85 patients) over 36 years. 414 patients were male (97.2%) and 12 were female (2.8%). Sensitivity of anterior drawer test was 94.4% and sensitivity of Lachman test was 93.5%. Conclusion: The diagnosis and decision to reconstruct ACL injury can be reliably made regard to the anterior drawer and Lachman tests result. The tests did not have privilege to each other. These test accuracy increased considerably under anesthesia especially in women.