Clinical use of fresh, frozen soft tissue allografts

Fresh frozen allograft tissue provides a good alternative to autogenous tissue for the treatment of patients with symptomatic ligamentous deficiency. While transmission of AIDS and other infectious diseases remains a small possibility, allografts provide the advantages of shorter operative time, small incisions, no damage to a patient's own tissues, and superior usefulness in multiple reconstructions, as well as revision of failed autogenous reconstructions. An independent, critical evaluation of the 4-year results of patients with allograft ACL reconstructions is presented. Issues important in allograft tissue recovery, banking, and intraoperative preparation are reviewed.