%0 Journal Article %A Caroline Kooy Tveiten %A Anne-Marie Fenstad %A Håvard Visnes %A Andreas Persson %A Lars Engebretsen %A Guri Ekås %T 403 Incidence of pediatric anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions in Norway from 2005 to 2019 %D 2021 %R 10.1136/bjsports-2021-IOC.368 %J British Journal of Sports Medicine %P A153-A154 %V 55 %N Suppl 1 %X Background The incidence of paediatric anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstructions is increasing in the USA and Australia, but the incidence in Norway is unknown. The health burden regarding short- and long-term complications from ACL injury is high, and there are also risks of complications associated with reconstructions.Objective The primary aims were to determine the incidence of paediatric ACL reconstructions in Norway and to detect changes in incidence during the past 14 years.Design Retrospective observational register study.Setting Data were retrieved from the nationwide Norwegian Knee Ligament Register (NKLR) which collects data on all cases of ACL reconstructions in Norway.Patients (or Participants) Girls aged 14 years or younger, and boys aged 16 years or younger, with primary ACL reconstruction registered between January 2005 and December 2019.Main Outcome Measurements Annual incidence of paediatric ACL reconstructions, stratified by age and sex.Results For boys, the annual incidence increased from 21 per 100,000 in 2005 (95% CI, 15–27) to 30 in 2019 (95% CI, 23–37). For girls, the incidence increased from 14 (95% CI, 9–19) to 28 (95% CI, 20–36). A total of 26,106 patients (all ages) underwent ACL reconstruction between 2005–2019. Of these, 818 (3.1%) were boys, and 470 (1.8%) were girls. The mean age at time of surgery was 15.3 years (SD 0.94) for boys, and 13.7 years (SD 0.57) for girls. Of the surgically treated patients, 55,6% (455) of the boys were 16 years of age, and 77.4% (364) of the girls were 14 years of age. The sports where most injuries occurred were football, handball and alpine.Conclusions The annual incidence of paediatric ACL-reconstructions in Norway increased from 2005 to 2019. ACL injury imposes an increasing health burden on the young population which warrants further attention - especially regarding prevention. %U https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/bjsports/55/Suppl_1/A153.2.full.pdf