Allograft Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in Patients Younger than 25 Years

Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcomes for patients younger than 25 years who had anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstructions with allograft tissue. Methods A total of 52 ACL reconstructions performed with fresh-frozen, nonirradiated tibialis or Achilles allografts in active patients younger than 25 years. Outcome evaluations included the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) objective and subjective forms, KT-1000 arthrometry and Lysholm. Results Forty-two patients were available for follow-up at an average follow-up of 65 months (range, 33-99 months). The average age at surgery was 17 years and 7 months (range, 11 years 10 months-24 years 8 months). Objective and subjective data were obtained from 37 patients with 1 requiring revision, and 5 patients had only subjective data. IKDC objective results were 29-A and 5-B. KT-1000 differences were 0 mm for 4 patients, 1 mm for 23, 2 mm for 8, 3 mm for 1, and > 5 mm for 1 patient. The average IKDC subjective score was 90.2 ± 15.0 and average Lysholm score was 90.0 ± 11. Conclusion The result of our study found that using nonirradiated Achilles or tibialis tendon allografts for ACL reconstructions in active patients younger than 25 years can achieve good outcomes, with a low rate of failure.