Earlier anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction is associated with a decreased risk of medial meniscal and articular cartilage damage in children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta‐analysis

PURPOSE: To evaluate the association between surgical timing and the incidence of secondary meniscal or chondral damage in children and adolescents with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures. METHODS: Three electronic databases, PubMed, MEDLINE, and EMBASE, were systematically searched from database inception until October 16, 2017 by two reviewers independently and in duplicate. The inclusion criteria were English language studies that …