ACL reconstruction gone wrong

A year and a half ago I had ACL reconstruction surgery using the patellar tendon. In the recent months I have started to have vision problems and developed a rash. My dermatologist took lots of test and came up the the diagnoses of a Lupus like reaction to a drug... I am not on any medications that would have this type of reaction. So he came up with the diagnoses of skin lupus due to blood work. My knee was still swollen at a year post surgery so I scheduled an appointment with my knee surgeon. My knee surgeon comes up with the diagnoses that I am have a reaction to the graft used in my knee. He took some fluid from my knee and put me on some anti-inflammatory medication. The anti-inflammatory medication did help some but the swelling never went completely down. In all of these different test including the knee fluid it shows that I have a high white blood count.

Had anyone ever heard of someone having a reaction to the graft? The doctor wants to take out the graft and do another replacement in a few years using a donor tissue. I am also not convened that I should jump right to surgery. If anyone has heard of a reaction to a graft I would like to know how it was resolved. Thank you for any help any of you can give me.

[Dr_Veena]

Hi,
     Thanks for writing in. ACL injuries can be treated conservatively or surgically depending upon the extent of damage to the ligament. Surgical repair involves ACL reconstruction , that means not joining the ends of torn ligament, it involves placing a new ligament from the patient’s own body or from the donor or a prosthetic tissue.
In your case it was your own patellar tendon which was used for reconstruction of ACL.

When a graft is placed, rejection reactions are common, but they are less common to patient’s own tissues used in grafting. Also graft reactions are usually immediate after surgery, probably with in 2-3 weeks. I think that the grafting in your case might have failed or there is some infection at the surgical site which is causing persistent swelling of the joint. Raise in white cell count is an evidence of inflammation in the joint.
Lupus like reaction involves hypersensitivity but that could be due to graft or drugs, or atopy to any dust or food etc. I suggest that you take a second opinion from a orthopaedician regarding your condition.
All the best.

[JoanKnee]

Hey my friend got surgery on her ACL about a year ago. They replaced it. I am not sure what kind of a donor they used. But anyhow, ever since the surgery she has occasional attacks of her knee popping.I It pops whenever, wheather or not she has been doing a physical activity or it she just happens to be standing up.  And after this occurs she cant move it for several hours or even days. Is this a normal effect of the surgery? Could it possibly not have anything to do with the surgery and be another problem? She has gone to the doctor but they say she is fine. In my opinion and her parents opinion this should not be occuring at all.

[JoanKnee]

Also this popping started to occur about a month after her surger

[Jobin4]

HELP~~I tore my ACL in 8/06 playing soccer and had surgery using my patella tendon a month later. In January of 07 I then had a scar resection because so much scar tissue built up that I couldn't straiten my leg all the way. I felt great for two years and then I started having bone on bone sensation in the back of my kneecap  and anterior knee pain out of the blue while I played soccer. In April of 09 I had it scoped after trying P.T. and all sorts of injections like Prolo therapy, steroid injections and Hyalgan, <sp??. This surgery just cleared out some loose bodies and they cleaned up my meniscus. I returned to soccer after six weeks as my Dr. stated I could and the pain was the exact same. I returned to see my Surgeon and was told that I'm as good as I'm going to get. I then got a second, third and even fourth opinion. The fourth Dr. I liked the best and he put me through more P.T. and we did diagnostic injections which led him to the decision that he wanted to scope it, this was in 11/09 and I had a microfracture. I'm now six months out and still have the same pain. I have been told that my ACL graft is loose, frayed and disorganized for a couple years now, I have also been told that my tibial tunnel was placed to far anterior and that my graft impinges on the roof as well as the fact that I have osteophytes (tiny bone spurs) going directly into my graft. I'm now looking at having a piece of cadaver cartilage put in the back of my knee cap later this summer and starting rehab once again. Has anyone had something like this????

[l3354]

11 months ago, my 19 yr old daughter had ACL reconstructive surgery. The surgeon used a tendon from her hamstring. Within 7 days from date of surgery, my daughter became extreme sick. Come to find she contracted a MRSA infection in her knee. She had two more surgeries on that knee within two weeks, to remove damages cells. She spend two weeks in the hospital, was on iv antibiotics for 42 weeks, had a picc line for 42 weeks, and threw more 3 blood clots. This has been an absolutely horrific life changing experience for our family. She continues rehabbing, and is anxious to get back playing volleyball again. I guess my message is, ya just never know when, how, or what will go wrong ... but you have to continue pushing forward. Good luck