Defining Failure in Revision ACL Research across Structural, Functional, and Patient-Reported Outcomes

Authors

  • Adrian Wells Author
  • Gavin Russell Author
  • Tyler Sullivan Author

Keywords:

outcome definition, graft failure, structural integrity, patient-reported outcomes, competing risks, revision surgery

Abstract

Failure after revision anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction can refer to structural disruption, recurrent symptoms, functional limitation, or additional treatment. These events are related without being interchangeable. This methodological synthesis develops an outcome framework around an adult revision-management consensus. It attaches an observation window and ascertainment process to structural status, patient reports, performance, and subsequent treatment. It explains why an apparent difference can arise from imaging intensity or follow-up rather than from a different clinical course. Established knee measures, reliability methods, repeated-measure models, and competing-risk frameworks are considered for specified questions. No new outcomes or pooled failure rates are calculated. The contribution is an outcome dictionary and design structure that preserve disagreement among domains instead of hiding it inside an undefined success label. The framework supports future revision studies while providing no patient-specific operative threshold.

Archive transfer

Originally published in Inclusive Growth and Management Quarterly (NB), article 213, on 2026-10-25. Transferred to Journal of Research and Discovery on 3 November 2026. The original authors, publication date and article text are retained.

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Published

2026-10-25

Issue

2026: Transferred NB archive: original Vol. 4, No. 4

Section

Articles

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Copyright (c) 2026 Adrian Wells, Gavin Russell, Tyler Sullivan (Author)

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.