# Prognosis and Predictors of ACL Reconstruction: A Multicenter Cohort Study

> **NIH NIH R56** · CLEVELAND CLINIC LERNER COM-CWRU · 2022 · $703,753

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ ABSTRACT
Injury to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) results in a threat to an active lifestyle and exposes
the patient to an increased risk of early post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA). ACL reconstruction
is typically chosen by individuals to allow a return to their previous activity level and sports
activities. The results of primary ACL reconstruction have been good at restoring short-term
functional stability, but patients’ long-term outcome remains unknown.
The Multicenter Orthopaedic Outcomes Network (MOON) is an established consortium designed
to enroll and longitudinally follow a population cohort of ACL reconstructed patients to determine
the predictive risk factors of short and long-term outcomes following ACL reconstruction. The
overall objective of this prospective multicenter cohort is to determine both the short and long-
term outcomes of these patients, to identify potentially modifiable risk factors for worse outcomes
and to determine the incidence of symptomatic PTOA in order to establish patient-specific
predictive models of clinically important outcomes.
Our previous grants have allowed us to enroll over 2,000 patients and obtain 2, 6, and 10-year
follow-up on this parent cohort. The objective of this grant is to longitudinally follow up the
cohort at 20 years in order to understand the outcome trajectories of these patients, and to
determine who is at highest risk for developing PTOA. These will be accomplished by three
Specific Aims. Aim 1 will quantify how much pre- and post-operative risk factors can influence
knee pain, which is a proxy for symptomatic PTOA. Aim 2 will determine the incidence of and
identify dynamic treatment regimens that maximize a patient’s satisfaction with their surgery at
10- and 20-years post-surgery. Lastly, Aim 3 will determine the incidence of and identify dynamic
treatment regimens to avoid early PTOA and total knee arthroplasty (the end-stage equivalent of
PTOA).

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10696490
- **Project number:** 2R56AR053684-15A1
- **Recipient organization:** CLEVELAND CLINIC LERNER COM-CWRU
- **Principal Investigator:** Kurt Paul Spindler
- **Activity code:** R56 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $703,753
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2006-09-22 → 2024-09-15

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10696490

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10696490, Prognosis and Predictors of ACL Reconstruction: A Multicenter Cohort Study (2R56AR053684-15A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10696490. Licensed CC0.

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